Zero to Hero
by LunaricFairy12
Summary: "What the hell are you doing?" "Easy. Being fantastically awesome, bastard." Being reborn wasn't on my list of to do's. But then again, living the life of round face wasn't either. Oh well, might as well wreak as much havoc as possible and hopefully save some lives in the process. To infinity... and PLUS ULTRA! AU
1. Chapter 0: Zero

From what I remembered, I was laughing my ass off being third times more _drunk_ than anything, partying the night away with some bastards I called my friends.

The next thing I knew, I-or more so something that wasn't actually me-was laying on my back, crying in a voice I never thought I could produce ever again, and to top it all? A pair of adults probably no older than their late twenties was looking down on me, smiling and crying at the same time.

To say the least, I had no _fucking idea_ of what was going on, and I didn't like it at all.

"She's beautiful." The man with chestnut brown hair sniffed as he stroked my cheek lovingly.

"I know she is." The woman with silky brown locks smiled with tears, her eyes never losing affection towards… Well, me, I guess?

I wanted to blurt out. Why, who, what the hell is going on?!

"Did we name her?"

"Of course we did, honey." The lady, who I presumed to be a mother (?), turned to me, smiling.

"Welcome to our family, Ochako."

…If my eardrums didn't split and vomit acid, did she say what I thought she just did?

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 0: Zero**

Hi, hello, greetings, _salutations._

If you aren't familiar with me, nice to meet you. I'm the main character of this story, but technically a side character in the _main story._ Confused? I know. I am too.

Well, my name is Uraraka Ochako. Or, more like, I was reincarnated as her.

The last memory of my life was me being shit drunk in a bar, not inside a _uterus_ after all. I'm screwed up in the head, but not _that_ crazy. So why oh why is it that I find myself in the body of a newborn baby?

The answer: I got nothing. Maybe it had something to do with the random note I found lying in front of my door, maybe it had something to do with the random guy that bumped my shoulder when I was walking the roads of Tokyo at night. Whatever it is, I don't have a damned clue of how I got caught up in this mess.

Moving on. Being raised as a fictional character in a fictional world, isn't actually all that bad. Sure, I still have a hard time accepting this _reality_ , but Uraraka's- mine now, I guess- parents were amazing people. They were loving and kind and hardworking- it wasn't a surprise why the canon Uraraka wanted to become a hero to repay them. All I can say is that being reborn as Uraraka Ochako wasn't that bad. It's weird, but not horrible.

Another factor, this world, full of inhumane people with inhumane powers known as quirks, was mind boggling. Every day was like spending my life in space, full of wonders and mysteries. The manga didn't show all the quirks of modern day people living in this world, and I honestly wished that they would've. Street performers were like circus people, and working at a construction site seemed like working in _Disney Land_.

If you didn't catch on, I love Boku no Hero Academia, and I'm not sure whether to curse or worship the being who sent me here.

Above all were all the good factors in this. Even if it was a dream come true, it doesn't mean that there were no bad points to this.

One, there are heroes as there are villains. Bad guys, not ordinary ones but ones with superpowers, are roaming the street, the alleyways, everywhere every day. Most have the uncanny ability to kill or castrate anyone who becomes their prey, and I'm not so keen on that idea. I'd rather have my head and limbs attached to my body, thank you very much.

Second, the heroes themselves. Not to say that there are plenty of wonderful heroes, All Might for an obvious example, but there are also heroes who only work for the sake of money. Corrupted heroes who don't give a rat's ass about the people, but do care about the hefty rewards and fame. I've always felt sick and disgusted whenever a hero like that appeared on television. That was why the Hero Killer arc was very conflicting for me, while I agreed that heroes like that shouldn't even be called heroes, it doesn't justify killing them because of it. Throw them into prison, hand them over to the police, sure, but murdering? I wasn't so sure about that.

And lastly, the power struggles. I couldn't imagine what it was like in school. It was already bad in my world, but we didn't have the fatal superpowers to actually kill. Give a small kid with a big ego a destructive quirk? Hell knows what he would do to the ones with peaceful ones like, I don't know, blowing bubbles out of your mouth or something?

Actually being a part of this world made me think a lot. And this was when I was barely a few days old, lying about and doing nothing in the crib.

I made a decision. I don't know why someone sent me here, but I was going to stick to canon as much as possible. If I did something the normal Uraraka didn't, the entire scenario the world was supposed to follow might change. I might get mauled faster than I expected, or accidentally kill someone. So, I guess I'll try to be like the real Uraraka, and play it safe.

A voice of doubt whispered in my ear, _will you let this chance slip by? A chance to be someone you wanted to be? Will you risk it to act as someone you are not, once again?_ I swatted that thought away and buried it in the depths of my mind.

Time flew. Before I knew it, I was walking and talking. I thought it would be hard to speak like a baby, but it turned out that only my mind was what I kept from my old self. It took a while getting the hang of walking and speaking, like any ordinary baby. My parents didn't doubt that I wasn't really their canon daughter at all.

Then, the books came. Remember when I said I kept my mind? Yeah, I kept my 24 years worth of intellect with me too. I could read and understand the difficult words on thick books, something that a three year old shouldn't be able to accomplish. When my parents found out, they were shocked, but more like-

"Our daughter's a genius, Hana!" My father sniffed as he lovingly patted my head,

"She is, isn't she? Oh, I'm so proud!" My mother wailed as she literally started squeezing the life out of me.

"M-mama can't breathe." I choked, lightly hitting her arm.

Yeah, I love them. Can't get enough of em'.

Oh yeah, and also-

"Mama, look! It's floating!"

"Wha-oh, Ochako! It's your- Honey, come and take a picture, quick!"

"I'm coming! Ochako, smile for the camera!"

My quirk manifested at the age of three. It was just as I had expected, it was Zero Gravity.

I knew what I had to do. I guess if I was going to be a hero, I needed to be able to defend myself. I did not want to vomit because of nausea caused by going past the weight limit.

So, first things first, I needed to know my limits. I needed to know how much gravity I could nullify, and if I could go past them. Also, maybe learning some martial arts could help. Canon Ochako went to Gunhead for a reason, didn't she? Learning something she would be learning later on shouldn't alter the future so much, I mused, relaxing. Relying on a quirk is good and all, but having physical prowess can be a great advantage too.

For years to come I would be puking almost every day and getting bruises everywhere and feeling very guilty for causing my mother more work and worry.

"Mama, I think I broke a bone..."

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll get daddy to drop us off at the hospital, so please promise me, DON'T EVER DO THAT FLYING KICK AGAIN UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO DIE OF HEARTATTACK!"

Plus Ultra, am I right?

…

 **Hello, it's been three years .**

 **I've been away for so long. So much work and stuff that I didn't really have time to write. If I had time to write, I had absolute zero confidence I could continue because my attention span is as short as an ant.**

 **But, I have been reading. A lot. I've recently stumbled upon a few SI reborn types of fics, and motivation for writing one myself came bursting in like a wrecking ball.**

 **I also had many ideas, and I got at least the first chapter of those 'ideas' typed out. Not sure if I will ever post them though.**

 **I'm not sure how far I'll get with this one, but I'm willing to try. Small step, baby steps.**

 **For those who are willing to continue reading, I hope you have an enjoyable time.**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	2. Chapter 1: One dose of burns

**Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 1: One dose of burns**

It was supposed to be a nice day. It was supposed to be a perfect day for a walk. It was supposed to be a perfect seven year old birthday.

What do I get?

This mockery of a ice cream man villain standing in front of me, baring his (it's?) ice cold teeth and waving a spoon. Behind him were hostages that were tied up, and they were screaming for someone to save them, but nobody moved. I wasn't sure if it was because of how ridiculous this villain looked, he literally was a huge pile of talking, melting ice cream, or no one had the guts to do anything before a hero arrived.

I just wanted a deluxe cookie and cream cone with rainbow chocolate sprinkles, dammit!

"Little girl, do you see?! Do you see how awful, how horrendous, how-"

"Shut your blab hole and give me the ice cream combo already bub. I've been waiting in this blasted heat for at least ten minutes, and my parents are waiting for me across the damn park." I growled out, narrowing my eyes.

The ice cream guy looked shocked for a second, and I didn't hesitate.

"HEY EVERYBODY! FREE ICE CREAM! LET'S EAT THIS GUY!" I shouted out to the kids in the park, and almost everybody smiled immediately, a glint in their eyes. I probably looked the same.

The villain started looking creamier by the second and waved his hands around frantically. "H-hey, I'm not edible! I'm a human, not a ice cream, so would you all just sit down quietly, and-"

"Dude." I kept my tone dry as I sharpened the plastic spoon with another from the ice cream cart. "You're a child's dream on a hot day. You cannot be serious. Now, GET HIM AND TAKE REVENGE FOR RUINING THE GOD OF ALL THINGS SWEET!"

I was a very satisfied Ochako a few minutes later. The police arrived just as the kids and I were trying to dig a spoon into the ice cream man's body, and they were more shell shocked than angry at our recklessness. Hey, kids can be one of the most brutal beings on earth, especially when ice cream is involved.

I was licking my cone when I heard it. Something that I wasn't planning on hearing as long as I was a child. Something that I shouldn't have heard at all, much less know about it.

A familiar voice. "L-let him go, Ka-Katchan!"

I snapped my head to the left and I witnessed one of the saddest and pitiful scenes I have ever seen.

A very young, very terrified, very tiny Midoriya Izuku, and a very much weeping boy behind him.

In front of him were that jerk-for-blaster Bakugou Katsuki and his two lackeys.

For a moment, I stopped. This was strange, why were they here in this huge park? Last I remembered, this scene happened in a small one, one that was surrounded by houses. Not this huge ass one that my family had decided to take me on a picnic.

But then again, canon Uraraka was supposed to be living in the Mie prefecture. For some reason, my father suddenly said we needed to move because of his work when I was six. A huge project was currently being held somewhere in Tokyo, in a city called Musutafu, and he needed to go. It was also the place where Izuku's apartment and U.A. were. Coincidence? Who knows?

So many questions were swirling around my head, but one thing was prioritized.

"So you're pretending to be a hero, aren't ya Deku?"

I needed to get Katsuki away from Izuku, but I didn't want to meet him yet. Not yet, I didn't want to know if meeting them here and becoming someone close to Izuku would set off a whole chain of events that I couldn't predict.

So I did the best thing I could think of. Distracting Katsuki long enough for Izuku to run away or do something that would save his skin.

I activated my quirk on my cone, whispered a tearful goodbye and threw it so that it would float across the blonde boy's head. The cone floated just right above him-

Then I slammed my fingers together and muttered out,

" _Deactivate."_

I promptly ran for the hills. I could hear angry yelling and explosions, and I did not want to look back and check if I had a temperamental demon on my heels.

…

My eye twitched as I saw a boy on the swings, looking alone and as lonely as the desert itself. Thing is, he was no random boy, he was a boy with half red and half white hair and the same gloomy look on his face that would be his normal look when he became a teenager. The only difference was that the left side of his face was wrapped up in bandages, causing me to realize that his-mother-pouring-hot-water on-him-incident had happened recently. My guess was that he was sick of staying at home and broke out to go somewhere where he could brood about his miserable life.

This day just kept getting better and better, doesn't it?

Now, what to do. I could leave him there and pretend that I never saw him, or talk to him and possibly set off a butterfly effect of some kind. I really didn't want to take the risk, but after seeing his sad look, it reminded me of his past. His borderline abusive past that ultimately won my mushy, sympathetic heart over prioritizing canon.

"Mama, Papa, can I take a walk around here again?"

"Okay, but be back soon and don't wander too far off." Dad chuckled as he rubbed my head. I smiled and nodded, scampering off into the direction of the sad looking swings.

He didn't seem to notice me as I approached him and cleared my throat. "Hey, are you okay?"

He jolted slightly and slowly looked up, blinking in confusion. He lifted a finger to point at himself, like he was asking, 'me?'

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you. Who else could there be?" I took my place on the unoccupied swing beside him. "You look depressed. What's gotten into you?"

"...Why are you talking to me?" He answered my question with a question. He turned away to hide his gray eye. "You don't even know who I am. I could be dangerous."

I sighed and decided on my next course of action. "I saw a lonely, sad looking kid on a swing and wanted to cheer him up. Anything wrong with that?"

He turned his head to me, his eye laced with surprise and disbelief. I raised my eyebrow at him and leveled my gaze. The surprise faded into a look of thinking, and he let out a deep sigh.

"I guess there's nothing wrong with it." He admitted, scratching his cheek.

I smiled, satisfied with his answer. I started swinging my legs, lightly moving the swings as a result. "So, what's wrong? I can listen to a few troubles if you want?"

"Ah..." He averted his gaze. "…I'm not sure if I can... It's, very private, and I don't think my father would want me to blab about our family. He also forbade me from talking to anyone outside and inside the house."

I snorted. Endeavor did say something like that, didn't he? "Well, I think it's a load of bull. Is he from the warring states period or what?" He opened his mouth, probably trying to correct me like the dense person he is, and I jabbed a finger in his direction, cutting him off.

"Look, he may be your dad, but he's not supposed to control your every single movement. And besides, he's not around right now." I patted his shoulder and he flinched lightly, not expecting any physical contact. "Do want you want for a change, won't you?"

He looked even more surprised and conflicted. I patiently waited for him to make a move. He was thinking of doing something that would go against his father's teachings, and if he found out there would no doubt that there would be some kind of punishment. It wasn't easy, especially for a seven year old kid.

"I… Ok. You're right, I think. I shouldn't let him get the best of me, but I'm just…"

"Worried? Frightened?" I guessed, leaning backwards and kicking off the ground, causing the swing to…well, swing. The metallic sound of old metal moving caught the year of him, and he turned to look at me curiously.

"We all have those times man. Its how it is, it's terrifying, you won't know what comes next…"

I recalled the times I had since I came to this world as I gradually starting standing up on the swing, and a huge grin made way to my face. "But you know what? It's amazing. It's amazing because the future is never set in stone, and anything you do has the power to change it. You can stay frightened and feeling pathetic in your father's shadow, from being confident and strong enough to get him back at it. It all depends on what you do, and how you want to turn out. If you want to be a hero, go for it! If you have a horribly weak quirk, it doesn't matter if you find out how to make it strong! If you want to do something, don't make excuses and don't run away, because seriously, "

Memories of my old life flashed through my mind. My fists clenched tightly and I pushed out the words bitterly, "You'll regret it forever."

I jumped off the swing at its highest peak. He stood up, obviously shocked and worried by my sudden suicidal actions, until I touched my arm and activated my quirk.

"So, let me ask you."

Slightly propelled forward from the force of the swinging, I floated gently in the air in front of him, and pressed my fingers together, muttering ' _Deactivate',_ making a small thump sound as my feet landed. I shot him a smile and asked in a merriest tone I could muster.

"What do you want to do?"

He bit his lip, and in a moment, he looked up at me again, this time with tears in his eyes. I was taken aback by the dewdrops shining in his eye, making his gray eye look even prettier than before. He took a deep breath, and faced me with hesitance in his eyes.

"F-from the moment I was born, my destiny was already decided." He confessed. "My father, he wanted to be a better hero than All Might, and when he couldn't accomplish that, he decided to create a child that had a stronger quirk, someone who had his blood that would be the number one hero. So, he won over my mother's family, a family with a strong quirk with money, and-"

"Quirk marriage." I confirmed sadly and he nodded his head.

"My father… That man started to 'train' me at five." He scowled, his eyebrows smashed together and his lips pulled into a furious frown. "He didn't hesitate to hit me and yell at me even after I vomited _blood_. My mother, she tried to protect me from him, but she got hit in the process. I…I couldn't do anything but watch that _beast_ beat her up. Then a few days later, she told me she couldn't stand to see my left side because it reminded her of him, and poured boiling water on my face." He reached up to touch the bandaged area gingerly, and I winced, hearing the pain and sorrow as he told his tale.

"I was so hurt and upset, and _angry_. Angry at that man, but angry at myself too! I couldn't protect her from him; I couldn't do anything to help her! She was always protecting me, and I couldn't do anything…" His voice became choked. He looked up at me with desperation, tears freely falling from his eye.

"That's why I…I…" He bit his lip harshly. "I want to be a hero! I want to be a hero, stronger than my father, strong enough that I can protect my mother from that monster!" He spat. "I'm done being afraid of him! I don't want to listen to him anymore; I want to do things my own way! I am a human being, not an object for someone to use!" He roared, pouring out of raw, honest feelings, to a girl who never had a desire as strong as the seven year old in front of her.

Hearing his declaration, something snapped in me. Here he was, a seven year old kid with an abusive father, and he had dreams. He had something he wanted to do, something that he could never give up. He wasn't going to let anything stop him now; I could see it in his expression. He was _serious_.

My heart throbbed, and I clenched my chest. What was I doing? My words just now were so hypocritical, I was nothing like that. I never did what I truly wanted to do, and I just mouthed away in front of him?

Why am I here? Why was I sent here for? What was my purpose, being reborn as Uraraka Ochako?

…

…You know what? Forget it. I'm done worrying. I'm done trying to be someone I'm not. I wasn't Uraraka Ochako, I wasn't a happy go lucky, cheerful and good girl like her. I could never be her, because I was myself. I was my own person. A 24 year old, manga loving woman who was dropped on her head as a baby. Crazy, but not stupid, as much as I liked to believe.

My true desire? I wanted to go wild. I wanted to mess up the events in this world; I wanted to alter the future so that everyone would be safe. I wanted to protect the characters that I so dearly loved reading about back home.

What was stopping me?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

A grin started to spread across my face.

"Haha, ahaha…"

The boy, no- Todoroki Shouto- widened his eyes in confusion as laughter spilled from my lips.

Then, I threw my head back and _laughed_.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, FUCK THIS SHIT!" I roared, slamming my hands on my cheeks, flesh against flesh sounding out. "FUCK STICKING TO CANON! CANON CAN GO AND STICK ITS ASS UP A BRANCH! I DON'T FUCKING CARE ANYMORE! I'M GOING TO BE MY OWN URARAKA OCHAKO AND NOTHING AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE! THOSE WHO DO, FUCK THEM BACK TO THEIR FIRST GENERATION!"

Shouto blinked rapidly as I panted heartily, with my hands on my knees. I straightened up and jabbed a finger in his direction.

"AND YOU! YOU WITH THE PEST OF A FATHER!"

Shouto looked more shocked than ever as I suddenly calmed down, threw him a smile and stretched my hand out to him.

"Uraraka Ochako. Seven years old, and officially being fantastically awesome from now on. What about you?"

Shouto blinked again, and wiped away his tears slowly. He slowly stretched out his hand, gripping mine. "Todoroki Shouto. Seven years old, and going to be the best hero starting from now."

I grinned and threw my arms around his shoulder, causing him to let out a surprised gasp and stumble. "Alright then, can I call you Shouto? Do you want to head over to my house for dinner? I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind me having a friend over."

"A…a friend?" He looked more confused than ever, the poor thing.

I nodded. "Yes, you just poured out your life's story to me, so that makes us friends, comrades, _compadres_. Anything you prefer. Assuming this is your first time having a friend," I looked at him for confirmation, and he nodded. "Friends go to each other's houses to eat as much food as possible and potentially make them out of food for days unless they go shopping. Then again, that could only be my false inaccurate teenage logic and alas, we are still seven year olds, so it doesn't really matter."

He tilted his head, looking even more lost. Geez, this guy really had no friends up till' now, did he?

"You wanna get some grub at my house?"

"Oh. Okay. To be honest, I don't even want to go back to that house, but I can't leave my mother there…"

"Eh, no worries." I released my shoulder hold on him and grabbed his hand, pulling him the direction of my house. "When worse comes to worse, you can both come over and stay. My house is kind of big; we can hold two people more."

He brightened up considerably. Wow he must really hate Endeavor. Not that I blame him, I hate Endeavor too. "Really?"

"Yes really, half melted ice cream. Now, let's eat! I can smell the meat from here."

"Do you have soba? Cold soba?"

"Eh, I'm sure we can do something about that."

Mother was enthusiastic about me bringing Shouto over. Father was a little conflicted to see my first friend being a boy, but he welcomed Shouto with open arms as well. The dinner table was livelier than ever.

"So what's your name, little boy?"

"Todoroki Shouto."

"Ok, Shouto then! Well if I may ask, do you have any preference for dinner?"

"...May I have cold soba?"

"Oh my, you're a lucky one! I just bought some a few days ago! I'll make it soon!"

"Ochako."

"Yes dad?"

"You're not thinking of having a boyfriend at this age right? I know kids these days are more grown up compared to the old days but…"

"BLAGH! Dad, he's my friend! Nothing more, nothing less!"

"Hahaha! Just teasing, sweetheart."

By the end of the day, I felt sour for having to send Shouto back to that hell of a home.

"Hey, Ochako?"

He called out to me as he stood in front of my house. I crossed my arms and tilted my head, standing in front of the door.

"Yeah?"

"...The soba was good." He smiled, a genuine Todoroki smile, and bowed his head. "Thank you for having me over. I hope I can visit some time again."

I laughed. "Haha! Of course you can! I don't care if you sneak out, we can play whenever you want to! I'll be glad to accompany you, dear prince." I mock bowed and he laughed this time, something I hadn't heard since I first met him. It made my heart warm, knowing that I managed to relieve some of his pain.

He turned around and waved his hand, gradually departing. "See you next time, Ochako."

I waved my hand back. "Bye, Shouto!"

Todoroki Shouto, a friend that I made today. The cold, aloof, half and half, lonely boy. I would help him get over his family mess, and hope that he doesn't grow to hate his fire side. I would support him and be a friend he never regretted making. A friend that would never betray him. A friend that actually meant a friend.

I smiled and closed my eyes. _'Time to mess around. No more serious business.'_ I opened my eyes, feeling determination fill my being.

' _It's time to show the world what you can do, Uraraka Ochako.'_

…

 **Second (First?) chapter up like a baus. It's officially the start of Uraraka Ochako's messed up version of MHA. There will be quite a bit of meddling here and there.**

 **I hope you enjoy this ride that will hopefully not turn into a roller-coaster heading to the ground.**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	3. Chapter 2: Two blasts of pain

**Here goes chapter 2~. Yay, progress!**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 2: Two blasts of pain**

"Shouto…"

"Ochako."

"Shouto…"

"Ochako."

"SHOUTO!"

"Ochako." He said with finality, his stance firm and steady.

I groaned, wobbling on my feet as I clenched my head. "Shouto, you do know that I can puke on you anytime, right? Guarantee that that Asahikawa style seafood ramen I had two days ago will come hurling out of my mouth like a rocket, anytime now. You have knocked me straight into last week."

"You were the one who asked for me to help you train." He said in a flat tone, crossing his arms as he raised an eyebrow. "You said you needed combat practice. I've done it for two years longer than you, and I can vouch that you won't die from this."

"You're different! You're literally a genius!"

"And just another human being like you. So get up, Ochako."

"Geez, what a drastic personality change…" I muttered, heeding to his demands as I rubbed my swollen ass.

A few months passed after meeting with Shouto. Many things happened during that period, Shouto's mother was sent to the hospital by Endeavor before he could bring her to the Uraraka house, and his hate for his biological father increased tenfold. I would never forget the day he came running to my home.

" _Ochako! Shouto's here!" My mother called out to me when I was reading up on martial arts in my room._

" _Ok, I'm coming!" I replied and slammed the book shut. I ran down the stairs to greet my new friend, only to stop at seeing his head facing down and hands trembling while he was sitting on the couch._

 _I immediately knew something was wrong. I scuttled over to him and grabbed his hand._

" _Shouto, we're going to my room. Mom! I'll be with Shouto in my room!" I shouted out for her to hear, and dragged the unmoving boy up to my private quarters._

" _Now." I said as I slammed the door shut and locked it. I turned around and crossed my arms, facing Shouto who was sitting on my bed. "What happened?"_

" _..."_

" _Shouto." My voice took on a gentler tone as I approached him. I put my hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "If you don't want to talk about it, I could go get something for you to eat-"_

 _My next words were cut off when Shouto reached up and wrapped his arms around me._

 _Stunned, I could only flap my mouth open and close, before ultimately deciding to hug him back, albeit a little more hesitantly._

" _Ochako…"_

 _He produced the most grief struck voice I ever heard in my life. Instantly, I felt like pummeling the bitch that had hurt him so bad. Or bastard, there was only one bastard who could kill Shouto from the inside like this._

 _My grip tightened. "Endeavor." I snarled out, putting as much hate as I could into my voice. "What did he do this time?!"_

" _He…Mom… He…" He trembled before taking a deep breath. "After, after she hurt me, he… He hurt her bad enough to send her to the hospital."_

" _THAT FUCKING SON OF A-"_

" _Ochako…" He wheezed out, his entire body shaking with sadness and anger. So much anger. "I hate him… I hate him, I hate him, I HATE HIM! I WISH HE DIED AND LEFT US ALONE! I WISH HE NEVER EXISTED!"_

 _He cried on my shoulder as I tried my best to comfort him and curse Endeavor to the six hells at the same time. He was carrying so much anger and hate, and I couldn't began to imagine what it was like._

 _I vowed again, I would never leave him alone. He needed someone to not forget the words his mother told him. That it was okay to not be bound by your blood, that it was okay for him to do what he wanted to do._

 _That it was okay to be a hero._

After that, every time he wasn't training he said he received permission from the elders of his family, people who had more authority than Endeavor, to leave the house. He visited me secretly, they didn't know he made a friend, but I guess that even they figured that he didn't want to have anything to do with his father or the Todoroki household right now. At least they were understanding enough, it's a wonder why someone like Endeavor was born.

We hung out more often and learned more about each other. He learned of my extensive vocabulary of curse words and the norm, and picked up a few himself. (I nearly laughed out in shock when he hit his toe on the door and said 'shitty crumblefishsticks') He told me he liked soba (Cold, he stressed) and I told him I liked seafood, like that really tasty, scrumptious, delicious looking seafood ramen in Shokugeki no-AHEM.

He told me his quirk and I told him about mine. I admitted that I was still having problems on how to make it stronger, after all just nullifying gravity couldn't be much of a weapon wheres his was literally hellfire and ice. He reassured me that I would figure out something, I wasn't an idiot after all.

That brought us to the point where fighting became our topic of conversation. I confessed that I was thinking of taking up martial arts, but wasn't really sure where to start, and I had less stamina than a house cat. Thus, I asked Shouto to help me train my physical strength up to point where I wouldn't faint after running at least 5 kilometers, and close combat as well. Hand-eye coordination and all that shit didn't really work out for me in my past.

Now, skip to the present where I was once again unceremoniously dumped to the ground with an unimpressed Shouto staring at him from above.

I scowled and made a swat at his face. "Go pee in a hole, half melted frosticle."

He effortlessly dodged my attack and scrunched his eyebrows. "I'd rather go to the toilet instead, and I don't think frosticle is a real word, Ochako."

"Fuck you."

"Come on, let's try again. Maybe you can do it the next time." He grabbed my outstretched hand and pulled me up, completely ignoring the comment I just made. I resigned and tried to give what spirit I had left back into training.

'Maybe you can do it the next time' my ASS. That fucking liar. I was nursing bruises for two months.

…

After thinking for a long time, I decided to take on Taekwondo.

Taekwondo was an art of fighting that focused on your lower body, speed and agility. It consisted of fast kicks and strikes to quickly take down your opponent unlike Judo. It was fast, precise, and trained your body to be more flexible, and flexibility was needed to have a more adaptable fighting style in combat.

In order words, it was perfect considering that I probably won't be a two meter giant in the future, but more of a pint sized midget. A very strong and kickass pint sized midget, mind you.

Now, there goes my physical power. Let's see about quirks…

"Zero Gravity, huh…" I pondered as I licked the cherry and watermelon popsicle in my hand.

"Nullifies all gravity on something once you touch it, right?" Shouto replied as he scooped up a spoon of shaved ice with coconut and strawberry flavored syrup and put it into his mouth. I nodded as I absentmindedly directed my popsicle to him, which he gladly took a bite out of.

"Yeah, but I don't think that's it." I confessed, swinging my legs back and forth while sitting on that swing where I first met him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, scooping out another batch of shaved ice and holding it out in my direction. I accepted the offering without thinking.

"Well, remember the time I tried to lift a slide to hit you with?"

"Yeah, you got angry because I ate the only naruto of your ramen. It didn't hit me, but it was a good swing." He noted.

I nodded, crossing my arms. "Exactly. I could swing it. Don't you find it strange?"

He shot me a questioning look. "Why? It's weightless, isn't it?"

"I don't think so… Did you know that if you wanted to move an object on the moon, it would require the same amount of force in order to move that exact same object on earth? Meaning that if I were to move the damned slide, I'd still need to be able to move it when it's not floating."

"You don't have that much muscle mass in order to do something like that." He commented, licking my popsicle again.

I paused for a second. Mass…?

"Mass. That might be it!" I snapped my fingers, a grin making its way to my face. "Maybe I can control the mass of an object, not just the amount of gravity on it!"

Shouto looked at me in confusion. I stood up from the swing and turned around to look at him.

I pointed at him. "That explains why I could move it! I reduced the mass of the slide and removed the gravity so that it would float and still be able for me to swing it around!" Suddenly, a new problem occurred to me.

If that was the case, how could canon Uraraka hit rubble with a huge pillar, and cause damage to Iida? If she reduced the mass of the pillar enough for her to swing it around, it shouldn't be able to hit rubble and actually send it flying. It would be like hitting tons of baseballs with a flimsy rolled up piece of paper, right? If she reduced the rubble's mass as well, it wouldn't cause that much damage and Iida should have nothing to worry about. Was he just panicking because visually it seemed like those hurling rocks caused you pain? Or did she alter the mass of the pillar immediately when it made contact and switched it back when they weren't anymore?

"Geez, this is harder than I thought." I grumbled, plopping down on the swing seat again. Shouto glanced at me and continued stuffing his face with his ice desert.

"Well, it's no use pondering over it if you don't know. Why don't you just try it out and see what happens?" He offered, putting his spoon down in his paper container and smiled at me.

I thought about his words, before nodding and agreeing to them. "Eh, you're right. Might as well just give it a try. Now, time to finish the rest of- WHAT THE HELL?!"

I was holding a wooden stick with nothing on the tip. I slowly turned to Shouto, who was already standing up and dusting the imaginary dirt off his pants.

"Well," He started, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead. "Let's get back to training."

"TRANING MY ASS!" I roared and chased after the popsicle stealing bastard as he immediately broke into a sprint, not a second after hearing my outrage.

"YOU DESSERT STEALING HALF FROZEN YOGURT!"

"Frozen yogurt tastes good."

"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?!"

Having Shouto as a best friend led to many perks, as well as downsides.

…

My thoughts roughly a year ago and a year later didn't change.

School sucked.

It sucked balls and I never wanted to go ever again.

"Ochako, I heard you got in trouble again?" Mother asked me with a frown on her face. I buried my face into the pillow and groaned in agony.

"It wasn't my fault! He was trying to pick a fight with me mama!" I grumbled, recalling the events from the day.

From the first time I went to school to a year later when I was almost eight, I was usually alone. I didn't bother to socialize with anyone because so many of them were so focused on how 'powerful' their quirks were and bragging to others. Not a single one of them seemed mature enough to befriend, and Shouto was home-schooled (No matter how much he wanted to go to a normal school) so I didn't have anyone to talk with.

Naturally, that served as a reason for people to start talking about me. Since I never showed my quirk, some even thought I was quirkless. Those immature brats kept whispering whenever I walked by, but a glare usually shut them up.

Well, not this time, because apparently, this guy wanted a dead wish.

I didn't even know this random bastard's name when he walked up to me and started bad mouthing me in front of the entire class. I clenched my fists, bit my lips, dug my nails into my palms and tried to resist jump kicking him the entire time.

Keyword, 'tried'. In the end, I couldn't resist and ended up kicking the lights out of him. That unfortunately ended in me being whisked away by the teacher and to the principal's office.

"Ochako…" Mother sighed and sat down next to me on my bed. She lightly patted my hair, stroking it.

"I know you don't get along well with your classmates… But you can't always rely on Shouto to be your only friend." She tried to talk to me. I pursed my lips and tilted my head to peak out of the cushion.

"He's a better friend that those kids could ever be." I grumbled and sighed, turning upwards so that my body faced the ceiling. "Mama, you know how horrible they can be. They don't know anything about being good friends; they're just after popularity and stuff that doesn't really matter."

Her eyes softened. "I know. You tell me about them every day. But not everyone is like that, right? Maybe there's someone out there who can become your friend. You won't really know unless you talk to them, okay?"

I let out a sigh, but nodded anyway. "Okay. I got it." I woke my body and stood up, mother following me. She smiled and kissed my cheek.

"That's a good girl. Now, do you want to go shopping with me and your father? We ran out of instant ramen."

I perked up. "Now that's something I look forward to." It wasn't a lie, I did enjoy going out with my parents no matter the reason.

She laughed happily and I smiled at her.

The walk to the nearest supermarket was short. My mother's hand in my right and father's in the other, I swung their arms happily as I hummed. Mother and father were talking to each other above my head, laughing and obviously enjoying this as much as I was.

Spending so much time with the two of them caused them to have a special place in my heart. I loved them as dearly as I loved my old parents. They were warm and cheerful like the sun; it was harder not to love them.

We turned the corner to entire the shopping district.

A store nearby exploded.

"What?!" I yelled out in shock as my mother screamed. My father quickly pulled us both in his arms, shielding us from the blast. Glass shards and rubble were flying everywhere, and smoke was emitting from the building.

"WAHAHAHA! THIS WAS A SUCCESS BOYS!" A menacing voice bellowed from inside.

"AS EXPECTED OF BOSS!" A few other voices cackled along, causing my brain to freeze. I peeked out from my father's arms, and saw the villains that just blew up a fucking building.

The one 'Boss' I presumed, was a huge man that seemed to be over 190 meters. He was muscular in a fashion similar to All Might, though nowhere near as menacing. Muscles bulged out from his black shirt with ripped sleeves, and his arms looked as thick a tree trunk. He had cropped dirty blonde hair caked with debris and dust, and a huge mouth with teeth as sharp as a shark's. A black mask was concealing all of his face but his mouth and eyes, and demonic green orbs shone with malice and threat. A large sack was hulled over his shoulder, the objects, which I presumed to be gold or money of the sorts, in it made a metallic rustling sound every time he took a step.

There were two other villains dressed in a fashion similar to him. They looked a lot less like a threat compared to the 'Boss'. One was skinny and lanky, while the other was short and stout. They looked like the typical goons you'd see in an American comic.

Fear stroked my heart. If you asked me later, I would have denied it, but I was _scared_. Scared of the powers that these men had, terrified of the aspect that they would hurt anyone that was in their way. The fact that they decided to blow up a shop just to rob it told me everything.

They were ruthless, cold-blooded _villains._

I could hear the frantic whispering of the people around us. "Why are the heroes not here yet? What are they doing?!" "I'm sure one will come soon!" "Hurry up, that shop manager looks like he would die of blood loss!" 'What the hell are the heroes doing?! Why isn't anyone coming?"

Heroes? Do they think they would come out from nowhere and just save everyone when most of them are only in for the fame and money? For their selfish reasons? Like Endeavor?

"Hana, Ochako." Father whispered to us in a low voice, keeping a cautious eye on the three villains a few meters away from us. "I don't think they noticed us yet. We can escape unhurt if we move quietly without making a sound. By the looks of it, I think they'll be too busy bragging to pay any of the civilians attention."

He was right. They were too engrossed in listening to the sound of their own voices. I nodded and gently pulled my mother in the opposite direction of the chaos. Mother gulped and kept a tight grip on my hand, now being the one leading me instead as she slowly backed away with me. Father turned around and kept his back towards us, moving backwards as well.

"Oh, Boss, what shall we do next?" The lanky one rubbed his hands together, a leery smile forming on his face. "Since that we have the money, I think we can start kidnapping some young ladies to have fun with, right?"

"HEHEHE, you got that right!" The smaller one snickered out, the same smile plastered on his face.

Boss's grin slowly turned into a lecherous once as well. "You two are turning out to be fine villains! I knew I didn't mistake taking you in! Now, let's see…"

My face slowly turned blue as the villain started to sweep his gaze over the crowed.

Almost there. If we just turned this corner, we'd be out of sight and free to run. Please, I pleaded, don't notice us! Please let us make it!

My blood froze when he made eye contact with me, and _grinned._

"FUCKING BITCH!" I screeched as I activated my quirk and pushed mother and father to the side. Something sharp sliced open the left side of my stomach, and blood flowed freely out of the fresh wound. I let out a rippling scream at the pain that assaulted me, and fell to my knees.

"OCHAKO!" My mother's worried shriek sent everyone into a slate of panic.

People screamed, people ran. The two lackeys started moving, capturing any girl or women they managed to lay their hands on, a huge cage appearing out of nowhere. People were cut down. People were injured, and dying. Horrified screams and shouts of pain echoed throughout the once peaceful shopping district.

I heaved heavily, a hand applying pressure to my wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. I was in agony, it hurt so fucking much I couldn't even stand. Footsteps approached me, and I looked up in anguish as the grinning face of the villain looked back at me.

"Well what do we have here?" He purred, a hand reaching out to grab my scalp and lifting me off the ground. I bit my lip harsh enough to stop my wail of pain, enough to draw blood.

"OCHAKO!" My father's desperate hollow reached me.

"LET GO OF HER YOU MONSTER!" I could imagine the tears running down my mother's face as they floated helplessly in the air, trying their best to move. Sorry mama and daddy, I can't let both of you get harmed in any way.

"What a fine specimen we have here. I can certainly imagine how much of a beauty you are going to be." He smirked, a glint of lust appearing in his eyes. "I wonder how much you'll sell at the auction."

"Fucking…Bastard…" I spat out, taking delight in the way his eyes widened with surprise. "Don't you dare…Fuck with me…You pathetic, chickenheaded posers…"

His eyes narrowed as he growled, his grip on my hair tightening and I winced. "A smart mouthed one, huh? Don't worry, the feisty ones always sell high. The more resistant they are, the more fun it is to break them." He licked his lips and turned around, calling for his goons. "Scallow, Shrimp! We have another one here!"

A chance. I saw a chance. His attention was directed elsewhere. He wouldn't expect a thing.

I weakly put a hand on his arm and concentrated. A rush of power flowed through me. Mass and gravity, control both… I can do it, I can do it! I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS FUCKER TO GET AWAY WITH THIS!

I gritted my teeth and spat out in a choked voice. " _Mass Reduction: Zero Gravity."_

His eyes widened as he suddenly felt the pull of gravity leave him. He snapped his head back to me in confusion as he started to float, while I was still in the same position. A weak grin was forming on my lips as I narrowed my eyes at him.

" _How's this for feisty, template bad guy?"_

I reared my leg, and swung it up with as much power I could muster. A huge crack resounded as my foot made contact with his arm, cleanly breaking his bones. His grip on me was lost as he howled in agony, and I dropped to my feet, nearly kneeling over in pain again. I looked up in triumph as the gigantic man gripped his arm while moving up in the air, unable to do anything but slowly make his way to the sky.

It was kind of a strange sight, actually. If I didn't have my left side split open, I would be laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

He hollered to his two lackeys while still floating. "GET OVER HERE YOU TWO BRATS AND KILL THIS GIRL RIGHT NOW!"

My eyes widened as I was immediately surrounded by the two. This was bad, I cursed in my head. I wasn't confident I could activate my quirk again, floating three people was already hard on me and I could feel the nausea making its way. I couldn't deactivate it on only my parents yet, if I touched my fingers together the villain would also be released. I took a deep breath to try and calm myself down, rubbing my temples with the hand not holding my stomach.

"Hehehe! What a waste, you could have easily been worth a few hundred thousand yen!" The lanky one cackled, rubbing his hands together in glee. "But killing you seems fun enough too!"

"I agree partner." The stout one clanked his fists together, smiling evilly. "I can't wait to see your blood all over the pavement."

"Heh, as if you could kill me…" I coughed as I spread my legs wider, and took on a fighting stance. "Awesomeness… can never be defeated by third rate characters."

It seemed like I hit a nail on that one when the tall one lunged at me. I crouched down instantly to avoid the swipe at my head and delivered a firm kick to his neck. I tried to activate my quirk, just to reduce his mass so that I could at least break his neck, but the moment I tried to nausea caught up with me and I nearly hurled on the road.

The kick seemed to do some damage though, he recoiled and hissed, grabbing his neck as he tried to punch my face in. I moved my head to the side, his fists scraping my cheek, and maneuvered so that I could kick the back of his knees. He let a gasp as the force caused him to tumble down and meet the ground.

The shorter one took this as his cue to jump at me, his teeth sharpening as he tried to bite me. Already hurt and feeling more pain since I moved so much, I couldn't dodge as his sharp teeth dug into my shoulder blade and I let out another string of curses.

"FUCK! YOU FUCKING FISHTEETH!" I swore as twisted my legs and hips to make a roundhouse kick cleanly into his side. He grunted, but didn't let go. My power was sapping and I was feeling faint of blood loss. His teeth dug deeper and I howled, going down and slamming my shoulder into the pavement in order to get him to let go. He made contact with the ground, but still refused to move.

"GET OFF ALREADY! SHARK BITCH!" I reeled my fist and punched him square on the nose. This time I was able to break it, confirmed by the crunching sound in the air, and he finally let go, howling in pain as he gripped his bloody nose.

I panted, body lying sideways on the ground. The world was starting to spin, and my shoulder and stomach throbbed like a fucker. I tried to get up, but only my right shoulder was working, and I ended facing downwards, my face hovering a few centimeters above the ground. Nausea was taking over my mind, and this time, I really did hurl, bile coming out of my mouth like a waterfall. I coughed and hacked, the vile smell not making me feel any better.

"Heh, heh… Finally. This girl wasn't worth this much trouble." A voice above me taunted, and I felt my gut dropping. It didn't work, I couldn't defeat them. Not like this.

"Nyeah, I camfth oritos shye bwoke mai noze." Another voice grumbled beside me.

"Heh, you deserve that for eating the last of the oritos last week."

"Shat up."

Shit, shit, shit. This was bad, what was I going to do? Get killed? Just like this? I can't I can't! I have to live, I have my parents, I have Shouto, I have an entire story to mess with! I couldn't die here, not like this! Not when I could still save some people!

But my body wouldn't comprehend my mind's orders. I could only pant heavily as puke dripped out of my mouth. This was so pathetic. So damn humiliating.

A small flicker of a wish came to me.

' _I wish… someone, anyone… help me…'_

It went silent.

A wind rushed. It engulfed my entire being, a harsh wind that seemed to blow everything away, but covered me in its embrace. I could hear howls of pain, and I blindly registered a tall shadow falling over my form.

A huge hand slowly went under my body, pulling me up without touching any of my large wounds. Comforting warmth was pressed against my back. Mouth still open, I faced up, and a grim, but wide smile greeted me.

"Do not worry anymore little girl. Why? _Because I am here."_

I closed my eyes as the world turned black.

* * *

 **Ochako is safe for now! I wonder how it feels like to have shark teeth digging into your shoulder. I never want to know.**

 **I have never written an actual battle scene before, so this was my first. I still have much more to learn and I still need to improve more, huh.**

 **Alright, I hope you'll enjoy the next one too!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	4. Chapter 3: Three chances of meetings

**Just to clarify, this Ochako's profile and Canon Ochako's profiles are different. They are in a sense, two different people after all.**

 **Now, let's get to it!**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 3: Three chances of meetings**

I woke up to a white ceiling and the smell of a hospital.

Have you ever smelled hospital air? You wouldn't think much of it unless you were the one being treated on, so those without that experience might not understand what I am talking about.

It smelled of disinfect, but with a tinge of human depression.

As I was lying here with my arm in a cast and stitches over my stomach, I continued to think about the smell of the particular white building that brought both despair and hope, until the door to my hospital room was dragged open.

"Ochako, Here- Ochako!" There was a sound of something dropping as someone rushed over to me and embraced me in their arms.

I winced. "Ow, ow, ow, shoulder, possibly fractured shoulder is hurting!"

"It is fractured, you dummy!" Mother scolded me with a quivering voice and equally shaking arms. I weakly smiled and wrapped my other arm around her.

"Hey, mama."

"Don't you 'Hey, mama' me young lady." She sniffled, loosening her grip but still embracing me. "How could you do that? They almost killed you, we almost lost you!"

The memories hit me like a ton of bricks. The fact that I singlehandedly stood up to three villains, broke the arm of one and nose of another, and left my stomach with a gash and got a fractured shoulder, and somehow, I was _alive._

What the hell happened? Why wasn't I dead?

"Mama," I whispered, fist clenched tightly as my lips trembled. "How come I'm not dead?"

"Don't say that, please…" Mother sobbed as the door to my room opened again. I raised my gaze to the entrance, and saw father standing there with a shocked look that quickly melted into one of relief on his face. He approached me, his eyes melancholic as he raised a hand and ran it through my hair.

"Ochako… Thank god you're okay…" His voice was quivering, and his eyes were misty. I sniffled, feeling tears in my eyes as well as I croaked, "Yeah, I'm alive daddy."

Father called the doctor in soon later. Apparently, I was out for two days. Due to the reckless fight I engaged in, like I said, I ended up with a stitched stomach and fractured shoulder that caused my arm to be in a cast and nearly died of blood loss. He said it would take around two months or so to fix my shoulder, but I would be discharged earlier if I could go about my life without needing assistance for every single thing like dressing or bathing. That meant that I had to spend at least a month or so in the building of clashing ideals, which I wasn't very keen on.

No, I did not throw a tantrum. Pssh, tantrum was for babies. I nearly threw the doctor out of the building, but I settled for throwing the trashy hospital food instead.

My parents had work, so they couldn't stay by my side the entire time. After the doctor checked me up, they both left with teary eyes and left me bawling like a baby. No, not really. I did shed a tear or so though, I'll admit. It would be lonely, doing nothing in a room full of nothingness.

Then Shouto came.

"Ochako, you are an idiot." He said flatly as he sat next to my bed. I gave him a look as I continued to slurp my noodles.

"What was I supposed to do, let my parents get hurt by muscleman 0.5? I don't think so." I countered, shoving the delicious bowl of veggie ramen into my mouth. Man, did Shouto know how to cook or what?

"I didn't make that by the way, my sister did. That's her original recipe."

"Stop reading my mind, you're supposed to be denser than a rock. By the way, how did you know I got hurt?"

"Hana-san and Yuuji-san told me." I nodded in understanding. All of a sudden, his eyes sharpened compared to the calm look on his face and the atmosphere surrounding him changed drastically. I had to fight the urge to flinch.

"Ochako." He started.

I sent him a slightly forced smile. "Yeah?"

"You could've just run the moment the explosion happened. Why didn't you? Why did you decide to fight when you could have died?" He cornered me, eyebrows furrowing and lips pulled into a deeper frown than I had ever seen before.

I sighed and put my chopsticks down with the noodle bowl onto the table next to my to the point as usual, I mused lightly. "They really did tell you everything, huh? They must love you a lot." I snorted. "Look Shouto, the situation was a little different than what you think it was. But anyway, it's all done for. Maybe I made a stupid decision, I wasn't thinking straight that time. It doesn't matter. I'm alive; my parents are alive, we're all happy and healthy. Isn't that enough?"

"No, it's not!" His outburst surprised me as I turned to look at him with wide eyes. He was standing up now, glaring at me with a strange look in his eyes.

"You could have gotten killed! What if you hadn't survived? What if All Might didn't arrive in the nick of time? What if something even worse happened? You could've been in a worse condition!"

I started to open my mouth before something registered to me. "Wait, All Might saved me?"

He slammed his hands down on the table next to me, making me jump. The noodle bowl clattered. "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

Hearing his outburst, something else snapped in me as I glared up at him. "WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO?! MAMA AND DADDY WERE IN DANGER, THEY COULD'VE GOTTEN KILLED! DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD STAND THERE AND DO NOTHING?!"

"YOU'RE JUST A KID! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE WHO SUFFERS!"

"AGE DOESN'T MATTER WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING, YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT!"

We glared at each other for a long time. Actually, I wasn't sure; it could have just been a few seconds. But neither of us was willing to back down. We had to make the other person understand our point of view, we weren't going to stop.

Or so I thought. That thought crumbled away the moment a line of water dripped from Shouto's eyes.

My eyes widened as his body shook, his eyes filling with more and more tears as he bit his lip, glaring at me weakly. He slowly got down to his knees, his fists gripping the white sheets as tight as he could while he buried his face in them. I could only stare dumbly at the crying boy in front of me.

"Shouto…?" I hesitatingly reached out to cover his trembling hand with my quivering one.

"I thought…I almost lost you…" He choked out, his voice tight with remorse and regret. "You're my first and only friend… I couldn't, bear it if you died…I wished… I was there… At least, maybe I could have protected you, but I wasn't…I was training with that fucking monster…"

"Hey, using curse words as a kid is my thing, not yours." I tried to lift the atmosphere, but my voice was starting to tremble as well.

"You're more important than he could ever be, and I couldn't protect you." He sobbed out. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for leaving you alone, Ochako…"

I couldn't help it anymore. I bit my lip as tears started falling from my eyes and down my cheeks. Letting go of the ridiculous pride I had, I finally pushed out the words I wanted to say the moment I laid my eyes on that villain.

"Shouto… I was, so _fucking scared."_ I cried, covering my eyes with my other hand. I dug my fingers into the side of my face as I failed to stop the waterworks. "I was so scared… I thought I was going to die, I thought mama and daddy was going to die, I thought I would never see you again…! He looked, so scary, so strong; I had no idea if I could win… And I couldn't and if wasn't for All Might, I would have gotten killed…!"

I cried. I let all my feelings out. I couldn't hold it in anymore. My outer shell was broken forever in front of him; I don't think I could ever hide myself if he was around anymore.

I felt a pair of arms tightly wrap around my head. I buried my face into his small, but warm and comforting arms, and let the tears fall. I could feel something wet on the top of head as well, so I knew that he was probably crying as much as I was.

Heh, I wonder since when did I become such a crybaby, huh?

"I'm so sorry Ochako…"

"So scared, so fucking scary…"

Hours passed as we stayed in that position. Eventually after we both calmed down, we decided to continue talking about random subjects. ("Damn Shouto, your sister can cook!" "I'll tell her the next time I see her." "Wait, does she know about me?" "…I might have told her some things." "You didn't tell her that her brother's friends with a nutcase, right?" "…" "Shouto, you know you can't whistle, so stop trying to.")

Just joking and laughing, just like always.

But I brought up a subject that had been bothering me for a long while.

"Shouto, have you started using your fire side?" I asked him. He looked away a little guiltily.

"Maybe not…"

"Have you visited your mother yet?" I asked again in a deadpan tone. He bit his lip.

Yes, this was still a problem he had yet to solve. It has been at least a year since his mother was hospitalized, and he still refused to use his fire quirk after that incident. I had thought things would be a little more different since I was here, but it seemed like it didn't have much of the desired effect. When we were sparring, he never used his fire side (granted, he barely used his ice side even around me, I'd like to think it wasn't because I was too puny that he didn't even need to use his quirk), and always dodged the topic whenever I brought it up. It's been like that for a year, and he still didn't seem to do anything about it.

"Shouto, you know that-"

"I know, it's just, can we don't talk about this right now?"

I snorted. "Permission to talk about it next time?"

He glanced at me and furrowed his eyebrows, and turned away again. "Maybe."

The sun was up when he visited me, and now it was only slightly peaking above the buildings. The sky was a beautiful orange when he finally decided to leave.

"It's getting dark, I'd better get home." He confessed, keeping the empty bowl into his backpack. I saluted with my undamaged hand, sending him off with a grin.

"Alrighty-o, captain Shouto. I assume you'll be visiting soon?" I joked slightly. "If you don't your partner's gonna die of boredom, and I will come back and haunt you for the rest of your days."

He laughed lightly, and sent me a smile. "Don't worry. I'll visit when I can." He waved his hand as he exited through the doors.

I let out a sigh and leaned deeper into my pillow, staring blankly at the wall.

Today was September 17, a few days before my eight year old birthday.

…

I had assumed that September 20th was going to be the most uneventful birthday of my life.

I was wrong yet again.

"Mama?! Daddy?! Shouto?!" I gaped, seeing my hospital room decorated in streamers with a banner saying 'Happy Birthday Ochako!' and a huge cake smack dab in the middle of the room. Mother and father were smiling widely, while Shouto was just staring at me with a hesitant smile on his face, probably waiting for a happy reaction.

Wha-How-Huh?

"Surprised aren't you?" Father chuckled. "We asked the nurse to stall you for a bit when you went to the bathroom in the morning."

"We kind of did this in a hurry, so some parts might-" Mother started before the tape holding up the right end of the banner weakened, and the other side was pulled by the force of the fall. So the banner ended up flopping down onto my bed.

"-Fall apart." She finished, sighing and rubbing her temples.

Oh, so that was why the nurse accompanying me kept talking about brushing my teeth properly and did a check over before making me brush a few more ten times. She should have just locked me in the toilet. My arm was still tired from holding up a toothbrush.

"Do you like it?" Shouto questioned, his eyes tinted with a bit of hope.

I flapped my mouth for a bit, before closing it and trying my best to smile. "I love it. Thank you."

I was then seated on my bed as the three of them gave me presents. Mother got me a new shirt because one of them got ruined during the fight. It was a white with black sleeves with the words 'Straight out of time out' printed in black and white on the front. I was impressed, she knew my tastes well. Just like my real mother.

Father was the one who bought the cake, he had it customized and everything. It cost quite a lot so he couldn't afford to buy me a present, but I was satisfied and reassured him that I would be happy even he just gave me a hug as a present. Sappy, but true, considering that we weren't exactly rich. He gladly gave me that hug.

Last one was Shouto's. When I took it out of the box, I nearly dropped it in shock.

It was a pair of white Taekwondo shoes. Like the name, they were shoes specifically made for the martial art. They didn't have laces, were light and easy to work out in, and they looked so fucking amazingly cool and just _perfect_.

"Shouto, I love you." I said in a serious tone. His face lit up and he petted my head in return.

"Me too, Ochako."

After that they sung me the happy birthday song and I blew out the candles. All eight of them at once, like a boss.

 _I wish for everyone to be happy, and stay happy._

I swear to hell and back, I was _not crying and eating the cake at the same time._ That was so not the reason why the cake had a hint of saltiness.

…

The door to my room was knocked on. I cocked my head, mother and father had already visited me, and Shouto told me that he couldn't come today. I didn't have any friends beside the half burnt icicle, so it couldn't be anyone from school.

Who could it possibly be?

"Come in, I guess, whoever you are. As long as you're not trying to maul me because I ain't having none of that!" I quickly added and prepared to throw the food tray at the door. Damn thing was the only thing I could use as a weapon. At least I can prove that hospital food can kill people.

"Hahaha! Do not worry little girl!" My jaw dropped. "For it is not a villain, but _I am here!_ "

The door slid open quickly to reveal a ridiculously muscular man clad in a T-shirt and cargo pants with a belt buckle that resembled a form of a bird. He had blonde hair with two bangs spiking up to resemble bunny ears, and his signature huge pearly white smile was present.

I let the food tray drop to the ground as my mouth hung open in the air.

"Wha-How-Dah-Bla-Urgh?"

"Please calm down little girl." All Might, All YAGI MIGHT TOSHINORI, reassured me as he walked closer to my bed. "I do not intend to hurt you. I merely came here to apologize for the incident a few days ago."

I pushed my jaw back to its original position. "A-apologize? What are you talking about? You saved me, if it wasn't for you, I would have died!"

"But I was too late to come to your aid, and you were gravely hurt in the process." His voice held regret and guilt, even his smile was drooping slightly. "For that, I sincerely apologize to you and your parents." He bowed his head and I started panicking even more.

"Wait, wait, wait, and don't bow! It's fine, really! You're the best hero in the world; you must have been needed at something far more important than saving a shopping district!"

"There is nothing more important than innocent lives, no matter how big or small the incident may be." He told me, lifting his head and straightening his back. His blue eyes seemed to penetrate through my soul, and I gulped.

"The villains that you held back were a little famous for their robberies. They had attacked precisely 15 other shops before your encounter with them. They were also notorious for capturing young women to sell off at an underground auction, and we couldn't have apprehended them without you. Right now, the police are interrogating the boss of the trio to find out where their hideout is. For assisting us in the capture of villains, the government would like to repay you."

"It's okay All Might." I whispered quietly. His eyebrows raised in questioning. "I don't need fame or money, or any repayment of the sorts. It would be different if I was trying to save the lives of people I didn't know, but that isn't the case."

What I said was true. I was fully prepared to run away with mother and father, not fight the three of them to save the people.

"I was just trying to protect my parents. I wasn't trying to be a hero. I don't have the power to protect the lives of so many civilians. I don't deserve a reward or anything, so you don't have to." I forced a laugh, remembering how badly I was beaten up.

"…What is your name?" He asked me out of the blue. I blinked.

"Don't you already know, since you managed to find my room?"

"Pardon me; I didn't enter through the front as it would draw a lot of attention. I sneaked in through a window and I saw you entering your room. So I'm afraid that I do not know your name." He smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. I blinked twice and let out a bark of laughter.

"Hahaha! The number one hero, sneaking in like a thief! Wow, that's so ironic, haha!" I stretched my normal arm to him, and sent him a grin to mimic his.

"Uraraka Ochako." I said confidently. "The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe." I wiggled my eyebrows in a joking fashion. "And also the most reckless and hurt."

He also laughed and gripped my hand in return. "I am glad to have met you, young Uraraka." He smiled warmly, and I felt my heart get lighter. He really was amazing. Just by being right in front of me, he managed to make me feel like I was in a storm and a sunflower field at the same time.

"Well, it looks like it is time for me to go." He let go of my hand and saluted me. I did the same with the stupid smile on my face the whole time. He opened the window and put a feet on the frame. He turned to look back at me, and I tried to carve the image of his pearly whites into my mind again, to never forget the moment I first met him.

"Goodbye, young Uraraka!"

He disappeared in an instant, and I was left with a strange feeling that never seemed to fade.

* * *

I was dreaming.

The sky was a faint blue without any clouds in sight. There was nothing around me, no buildings, no people, nothing.

Suddenly, I was in the middle of a road. A road to where, I wasn't actually sure. It just seemed to stretch on and on, and faded into the faint blue horizon. I didn't see anywhere else to go, so I decided to move forward.

I felt like I was walking for miles before abruptly, light engulfed my vision. I closed my eyes, waiting for what was coming next.

I heard chatter, and laughter. I opened my eyes to see myself surrounded by many kids wearing uniforms. I glanced down at my body. It was a milky translucent color. I raised my head once more and observed the people I assumed were students. They were waking to a certain destination, and I looked up to see a structure that seemed like a school. I glanced at the signboard, but the words were blurred out. I couldn't tell where this place was; besides well, obviously it was a school.

I let out a sigh as I looked around once more. Everyone seemed to ignore me, or they just didn't notice me, I didn't know. I found out that I was something resembling a ghost of a sort; I nearly lost my shit when someone walked right into me and went past the other side, my body fading into mist for a second before becoming clearer again.

Damn, this was sort of cool and creepy at the same time.

I looked behind me, wanting to know what the view I had my back to was like, before someone passed me. I didn't know why, but my eyes traced after their movements.

I stopped.

It was a boy with curly green locks.

I could recognize that messy mop of hair any day.

Midoriya Izuku, I whispered out, my breath leaving me. It was him. There was no doubt about it.

But something was wrong. He didn't have his signature gigantic yellow backpack, or his funky looking red shoes. Instead, all he had was a beaten up brown backpack with plain black and white sneakers. His head was so cast down I couldn't even see a glimpse of his face, and his hair looked almost like it was long enough to cover his eyes. His hands were gripping the straps of his bag so tightly they were white, and his whole body posture was rigid, as if he was expecting someone to jump out and attack him any moment.

It took me a second to process this thought.

 _Oh,_ my eyes narrowed. _Oh._

As if on cue, a familiar blonde entered my field of vision. It wasn't only me though; Midoriya seemed to register the menacing presence even with his eyes covered.

"Oi, Deku! Still looking as wimpy and shriveled as ever, huh?"

My fists tightened as I saw Midoriya wince and began shaking ever so slightly.

I opened my mouth, ready to give that stuck up, blown up pufferfishheaded shittybombed brathole a whole new string of curses-

* * *

I was hit with the immense urge to pee.

I opened my eyes, everything around me blurry before I groaned, my expression taking on an ugly frown. Body functions, they wouldn't just let you sleep would they?

Maybe if I went back to sleep I wouldn't feel like peeing…

I closed my eyes.

…

..

…

…Sigh.

I reluctantly kicked the covers off me. Carefully getting up as to not strain my wounds, I put my bare feet on the ground. The floor was cool to the touch. Being the lazy fuck I was, I didn't bother searching for slippers to walk around in, and just left the room without anything to cover my feet.

The lights on the hallway were bright compared to my dark room. I winced at the blinding rays, stumbling around before my hand touched a handle. Since that the toilet was close to my room, I figured that I hit the jackpot.

I opened the door harshly.

A woman snapped her head to where I was standing, her eyes widened with shock.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes.

…I then registered that she had white hair, a shade that seemed eerily familiar.

…Well, if this isn't awkward.

* * *

 **Huehuehue, Ochako should check her doors properly. You never know when you make another awkward encounter with a complete stranger. Or, is she?**

 **Well, Ochako starts dreaming about a certain greenette, eh? Does she remember though? I wonder… It certainly won't be the last. After all she is technically the** _ **side character**_ **to the** _ **Main Story**_ **. But everyone is the main character of their story, yeah?**

 **Okay, enough with the mysteries. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was thinking of updating one to two times a week. I had to think a lot about the pacing of the entire story. Originally, Ochako was supposed to be out of the hospital already, but it seemed too rushed so I slowed down. I have to say, I like this one a lot more.**

 **Also, if anyone's wondering why Shouto is so emotional, I wanted to show that he was more expressive with his feelings as a child. He would laugh and cry, and I think he really used to until the thing with his dad made him tuck his feelings into a small, cold icy ball. He isn't so much aloof because of Ochako, and he since that he allows himself to feel emotions around her, it automatically makes him more expressive compared to canon.  
**

 **Well, hopefully we'll meet again later this week! If not, next week then!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	5. Chapter 4: Four glimpses of incoming

**Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 4: Four glimpses of incoming**

"Um…Hi?"

The lamest greeting ever was sprouted out of my mouth. I wanted to slap my forehead there and then at the baffled expression on the woman's face.

Hooray, I just won the award for most weird, gawky, unrefined salutation ever.

The lady whose room I entered was very beautiful, but frail and weary looking at the same time. Her white hair cascaded slightly over her shoulders, the strands seeming thin and brittle as if she had gone through a huge amount of stress. Her eyes, a shade of gray and coal black mixed into one, were wide open in surprise, and her lips were slightly parted. She blinked once more to register the strange view of me, an eight year old child with a broken shoulder stumbling into her hospital room in the night, and hesitantly lifted the sides of her mouth to form a small smile.

I sucked in a breath. She looked almost _exactly_ like Shouto. From the shape of their eyes to their nose and the way they smiled, they looked so similar it was easy to tell that she and Shouto were related. The thought that he hadn't visited her when she was right down the hallway from my room sent a pang into my heart. He knew she was here, of course he did, and he kept it a secret from me because he didn't want me to meddle.

Geez, that kind of hurt, I sighed and rubbed my neck awkwardly. Well, he does know me pretty well, I guess, I grumbled in my head.

"Um…Hello? To what do I owe this pleasure from a little visitor?" I blinked at the sound of her soft voice and shook my head, snapping myself out of the daze I was in.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that." I apologized sheepishly, waving my arm around. "I just woke up and everything's kinda blurry and I was looking for the toilet but I wasn't seeing properly and I sorta thought that your door handle was the toilet door and-yeah…"

She blinked once more as if I was some kind of idiot, which I admit that I am, before bursting into giggles, her left hand moving up to cover her mouth. Her laugh was infectious; I started to giggle along with her as well.

"Well, sorry to bother you, Miss." I bowed, still smiling. "I should get going, have a good night's rest!" I ignored the fact that she wasn't in her bed but sitting on a stool next to it, and the lights were fully on. I took a step back and closed the door. For a moment I lingered in front of her room, thoughts about the lonely, tired woman circling in my head, before the urge to go the bathroom resurfaced and I sprinted to the nearest washroom in a panic.

After my short bathroom break was over, I stumbled back to my dark room; I swear I got it right this time, plopped onto my bed as gently as possible, and immediately went back to sleep, the face of my best friend's mother flashing in my mind.

…

I sucked in a deeeeep breath.

One…

Two…

Okay, I can do this. No biggie, all I just had to do was just knock on the door next to the label that said 'Todoroki' under the number '315'. I was just going to pay her a small visit, just make some small talk, I mean come on, we're practically neighbors it's natural to greet someone after you accidently thought their room was a toilet right(?), and don't mention anything about this to Shouto the next time he visits.

…Yeah, this was harder than I thought. But I came this far, why back down now?

I steeled my jittery nerves and knocked on the cold door. A moment passed before the soft voice of hers responded, "Hello? Who is it?"

"Ah, it's me. The girl who accidently found your room yesterday night." I scratched my neck, a little uncomfortable. "Do you mind if we, uh, talk for a bit? I just thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to while being in here and you don't seem like a bad person, so…uh…I know our encounter wasn't exactly the most pleasant but…um..."

Giggles were heard past the door. "Of course, please enter."

I brightened up at her approval before sliding open the door. Shouto's mother greeted me with a gentle smile, her tired eyes shining with a little bit of happiness. She was sitting on a stool next to her bed, her posture straight despite her obvious fatigue, a habit I supposed she got from being raised in a powerful family. She practically radiated of motherly comfort, which made me almost want to jump into her arms and cuddle her. It was no wonder why Shouto loved her so much, compared to that devil, she was an angel. It was just unfortunate that her wings got clipped by Endeavor.

I returned her beam with a grin of my own and waved my arm again. "Hi."

She giggled this time, a sense of warmth flooding over me. "Hello. Please, come closer, I will not bite." She teased me lightly, and I let out a snort, laughter spilling out of my mouth.

I approached her and she gestured to the bed for me to have a seat. I gladly took up that offer, plopping down onto the soft mattress as she turned her body to face me, the mellow smile never leaving her face.

"May I ask your name?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side.

"Uraraka Ochako. The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe, nice to meet you." My eyes glinted as I spoke that phrase, my left eyebrow arching up as the corners of my mouth twitched into a goofy smile. She laughed at my strange expression, and I let my face relax back into its usual look.

"You are a strange child, Ochako." She giggled and I shrugged. "I'm used to being told that. It's part of my charm." I wiggled my eyebrows, causing her to chuckle even more.

"May I ask for your name, pretty lady?" I asked her back.

"Of course you may. My name is…ah," Suddenly, her straightened back slumped as a defeated look entered her eyes. My smile slowly faded as I quickly added.

"Uh, you don't have to tell me your entire name! Just something that I can refer you to would be nice!"

She looked up at me in surprise, and I hoped that I said the right thing. Gradually, the soft smile on her face returned, and the expression of despair was gone.

"Fuyuka." She answered, her slacked demeanor straightening. "Please call me Fuyuka."

"Fuyuka." I confirmed, and she nodded. It was pretty name, and it was a perfect fit for her. It meant 'Winter Flower', and the woman in front of me seemed as frail as a flower, yet beautiful like the snow in winter. Her hair certainly did the trick, as well as her quirk, if I were to assume that her quirk was something like Shouto's 'Half cold'.

"Okay, well it's nice to officially meet you, Fuyuka. I hope I can come over and well, talk to you more often? It gets boring when all my visitors leave me." I sent her a grin, and her smile widened in response.

"Of course. I'm afraid that I do not have many visitors, so having a companion who would talk to me would certainly make me happy. It is nice to meet you too, Ochako."

I tiled my head. "Why not? You have a family, right?"

She winced, and I groaned on the inside. This was going to be unpleasant… "Well, yes…But, ah, they don't really care for…someone like me…"

I shook my head and persisted. "Come on! That can't be true! There's got to be someone who cares about you! Like your kids or something?"

I hit the right note with that one when her eyes were suddenly filled with a nostalgic shade. Her expression relaxed and she seemed more peaceful compared to just now. "Well, I do have a son…"

"Really? I bet he loves you a lot!" I gave her a crooked grin. She chuckled, putting a hand to her cheek, her tone taking on a motherly and loving one.

"I don't know about that, but he is a really good child. Loving, caring, and always so considerate of others, he's my most loved treasure. I want him to spend his life in happiness, doing what he wants without anything tying him down." However, the more she talked about him, the darker her eyes got until she looked absolutely miserable.

"But, I haven't seen him in a while…And, I'm scared that I might be the cause of his pain… I don't want to burden him anymore…"

"There's no way that's possible!" I abruptly blurted out. She looked at me in surprise at my sudden outburst, and I panicked, trying to cover up my mistake. "I-I mean! I only just met you and all, but you seem like a really great mother! Your son can't possibly hate someone like you! It's just unthinkable!"

She chuckled gently, and I hesitated, murmuring in a silent tone. "I mean, he loves you too much to able to think about hating you…"

She didn't seem to hear me, and I inwardly sighed in relief. "Thank you; I haven't heard anyone talk about me like that before. I hope I was a good mother while I was with him, but I made a terrible mistake… A mistake that no mother should ever do to her own children…" Her eyes clouded with a heart breaking sadness, her lip trembling as her hand twitched to her shoulder.

I hesitantly spoke up. "Even if it wasn't really your fault?"

She paused, raising her head to look at me in confusion, but I continued talking. "It really isn't your fault. It really isn't. Your son could never hate you no matter what you do, because the cause of your pain and his lie in the same place. He would never, ever turn his back on you."

The look of confusion slowly faded into an expression of shock, and I took this as my cue to leave. I got up from the bed and begun walking in the direction of her door, I could feel her eyes on my back as I moved forward. I paused at the entrance before turning my head back, channeled my inner Shouto and gave her a smile. I heard her quiet gasp, and I took this as a response that I had successfully mimicked Shouto's smile, or at least reminded her of him.

"Maybe you could give your son a call? I'm sure he would be happy to hear from you." I lingered in the same spot for a moment before opening the door, and left her room behind.

After getting out of the room, I leaned on the wall next to her door and let out a deep sigh.

"Geez, your family's full of surprises, eh Shouto?" I muttered, pushing myself off the wall and heading in the direction of my own sad little habitat.

Hope I didn't blow it and she mentions me to him if she ever decides to call. That could very well be the end of my life. Eh, it was a good one anyway. If whatever I did managed to make him happy, I would gladly…

Okay maybe not. I still had a bucket load of things to do after all. Shouto's family problems were only the start of what was to come.

And I had no idea what was in store for me in the future.

…

Fuyuka stared after the closed door. She then averted her gaze to the bed that was occupied by the young brown haired girl with a face that reminded her of Shouto, kind and caring, yet hiding something fierce inside. Being raised as a fighter for a long time, she was good at telling how people truly were by one look at their expression.

This time, she slowly got up from her chair and reached for the pillow on her bed. Picking it up gently, it revealed a small brown envelope underneath, and she picked it up. Putting the pillow down, she softly traced her fingers on the rim of the paper. Written in bold words in the middle of it was the name 'Todoroki Fuyuka'.

She took a deep breath and ripped it open slowly, revealing the white paper inside. She took it out and unfolded it, her eyes scanning the letter. She let out a sigh of relief.

It was her little boy's words. She would recognize them even if she was blind.

She read the words written on it, and as she did, relief was shown on her face as her eyes softened and her mouth twitched upwards.

When she was done with it, she let out a small breath, turning her head to look at the sky. Her other hand unconsciously begun rubbing her right shoulder before tracing to her back, where the memory of his flames were literally burned into her skin and mind.

"That's probably her, isn't it, Shouto?" She murmured, staring peacefully at the clouds floating across the blue sky. She recalled the little girl's words before giggling to herself.

"She certainly is a strange one…but, a good friend. Someone who could protect him..."

* * *

I was dreaming again.

I blinked and looked around. It was the same place as last time, I recalled. I've been here before, except, this place was supposed to be a barren land with only a road leading me to somewhere.

This time, there were trees. Trees that swayed in the breeze that I couldn't feel, but it somehow gave me a sense of peace. I decided to walk forward again, just moving on before a light engulfed me again.

I reflexively closed my eyes, and hesitantly opened them after the flash was gone. There was a swing a few meters in front of me, and a sandbox next to it. There seemed to be two kids running around, playing with the sand and a soccer ball, I think.

I looked down at myself again. Hello, half ghost Ochako, nice to meet you too, I greeted in my head as I walked towards them. If they couldn't see me, I bet a million dollars they couldn't hear me too.

But where the hell was I? The buildings look strangely familiar, but I couldn't seem to pinpoint exactly where. Was I dreaming of a place I was familiar with? But somehow it looked familiar and at the same time, it wasn't. (The hell that made no sense, get a grip Ochako! Wait you're in dream, you can't a grip anyways.)

In fact, I stopped my feet. This doesn't seem to be the present at all.

How did I figure this out?

Well, for starters, our lovely protagonist I see once again looked to be no older than five, as well as that sparky sparky boom boy.

I racked my brain. The last time I saw Midoriya like this was when he was about… maybe twelve? He looked like a junior high student. Definitely not a high schooler. But right now he was about five, a little older than half my age. If he wasn't born earlier than me, which I know for a fact since I did technically 'meet' him when I was seven and he looked no older than I was, that meant…

I was having dreams of his future, and past?

I blanched. Why the heck was I having dreams of Midoriya anyway?! I know he's the main character and all, but it didn't make any sense. I already knew most of what happened; he was bullied by Katsuki when he was little but never gave up his dream of becoming a hero and whatnot, right?

Nothing's changed-

I paused.

I remembered the Midoriya in the future who seemed so scared of said bully. One with an unnaturally stiff posture, his head so parallel to the ground he could be best friends with it, and his signature items nowhere in sight.

…No… It couldn't be…

I felt a cold shiver crawl up my spine. I brought my hands up to my head and gripped it tightly, bunching up my brown curls.

Did…Did something change with him too? Did I do something that made him like that?

What…What happened?

What happened?

"Oi, Deku! Stop being such a wimp!"

I snapped my head up.

"B-but Kacchan! I cut my knee, it hurts!"

"So? Suck it up, it's just a small scratch you crybaby!"

Midoriya, tiny little Midoriya was sitting on the ground, his hands gripping his scraped knee. While it just looked like he had fallen considering there was a rock behind him, his knee did look pretty bad. The cut itself didn't seem that deep, but blood was definitely coming out of it. It may not be much for blondie, but it was obviously a big deal to Midoriya.

I had a bad feeling. Something bad was going to happen.

Bakugou, the little brat, suddenly had an ominous grin on his face. He pumped his fists together, creating a small blast as his smile widened.

"Oi, Deku."

My blood ran cold.

No…he couldn't…

"Sniff…Yes, Kacchan?"

"Do you remember the hero movie we watched yesterday? The one about the hero with the fire quirk?"

Midoriya's eyes brightened. "Yeah! It was so awesome right! Having a fire quirk is so cool!"

"I know, I know, I have it. Remember the scene where he got hurt?"

Midoriya tilted his head. "You mean when he got his stomach pierced through by a steel pole?"

"Yeah. How did he fix the wound again?"

Midoriya's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "By…burning the wound to seal it shut?"

I sprinted forward the exact moment. Despair clawed at me as I did my damn hardest to run, even though I know it was futile.

No, no, no, he couldn't have, he wouldn't!

Bakugou's grin turned almost evil. "Yeah."

A piercing scream echoed as the sound of blasts accompanied it.

* * *

I woke up with a start.

I was panting hard, as if I had run through a whole marathon. My heart ached with pain, my hand coming up to grip at my chest as my body shook with an unknown emotion. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead, and water dripped onto the sheets.

It took me a while to realize that I was crying.

The hand that was gripping my chest relaxed, and slowly brought up to touch my cheek. They were wet, it wasn't sweat, and I was clearly bawling my eyes for something or someone.

Why the hell was I crying? Was I dreaming of something that horrifying? What in blazes is going on?!

I spared a glance at the digital clock on the wall to find out it was three in the morning. Man, what a lousy time to wake up, I grumbled, wiping my eyes clean of the salty liquid. Crying in my sleep was a bother to say the least, but more than that, I was exhausted all of a sudden. It was like an unknown force hit me with hypnosis as I found my eyelids closing themselves against my will.

* * *

I was in a house, or more like an apartment. It wasn't big, but it was comfy and homey, and it reminded me a lot of my home actually. It wasn't as big since my house was in the suburbs of Musutafu, but the atmosphere was very similar.

I heard the door open and I whirled around to see a slim woman with her arm around the back of a sniffling child. They both had the same deep shade of green of hair, and their faces were similar. It was then when I realized that this was the Midoriya residence.

"Izuku…Does it still hurt?" Inko asked her son gently, helping him take off his shoes at the front. He sniffled and nodded.

"Mama…Why did Kacchan do that? Aren't we friends?"

I narrowed my eyes. This happened just after that brat decided to burn his cut close, I realized. My fists tightened as I saw Inko hesitate.

"Dear…I'm afraid that maybe you shouldn't be around Katsuki anymore." She trailed off.

Midoriya looked up her, his eyes still filled with tears and a sniffling nose.

"This, this isn't the first time he's hurt you, and nothing Mitsuki says seems to go into his head… I don't want him to hurt you anymore." She told him as gently as possible, guiding him to the couch where they both sat down together.

I felt uncomfortable, like a creeper ghost that peeped on innocent families with a bullied son.

…Oh.

"I know…But, I don't have any other friends…All of them call me a quirkless loser…Kacchan is the only one who bothers to talk to me now…"

Well it sure ain't for friendly purposes, I snorted. That stupid brat really needed to have his head bashed into a toilet lid once. Or twice. Or thrice. As many times as possible before he finally matures a little, actually. He could use the extra hit to his bratty 'man' pride.

"Izuku…" Inko let out a heartbreaking call as Midoriya got up from the couch and limped to his room. He sent a weak smile to her before entering the dark room. I couldn't stand to see Inko cry, so I decided to follow the small boy.

I hesitantly stuck my hand through it wall as it went past it.

…Sweet.

I stepped into the wall to come back out to the private domains of Midoriya Izuku. I saw him curled up on his bed, a blanket over his head. I could hear sniffing, and small mutters.

"Stupid…stupid Kacchan… Stupid, quirkless, me… Why… why don't I have a quirk…Why…why does he get one…why…"

They were small, and timid, but frustrated and full of sorrow and pain. Listening to this was torture; I decided I finally had enough. I couldn't just stand around and watch anymore; even if nothing would change I wanted to do something.

"Hey kid. I know you can't hear me, but hear me out. Yes, that boom box is annoying. He's a hella pest in the arse, but you know what kid? You're going to be better than him one day, you'll be better than all of those idiots who called you quirkless. Quirks don't make a person, hell it can destroy them from the inside and the person might not even have a clue about how inhumane they've become, your heart is what makes you who you are, no matter how cheesy it may sound. You've got a heart of gold, I would know, I've seen all that you can do, and you would never abandon someone in need." I smiled and reached out to him. Of course my hand passed through him, but I settled my hand on his head and made a ruffling motion.

"You're an amazing person, Izuku. You'll be fine."

My vision was slowly turning black, but the sound of crying was nowhere to be heard.

* * *

Shouto nearly jumped ten feet in the air when the phone next to him rang and barely avoided giving him a heart attack.

It was a normal afternoon in the Todoroki family, him being beaten to a pulp by Endeavor as 'training' and him swearing curses that may not even be curses considering the random words he thought of as insults in his mind as he lay flat on the ground, staring up at the ceiling after their session was done. When training was finished, Endeavor would usually return to his headquarters in the main part of city, not in the less populated areas of Musutafu where their family mansion was. He was grateful that he didn't have to see his face for the entire day.

He asked his grandmother, an elder in the Todoroki family who had more power than Endeavor in the household, for permission to go outside (to visit Ochako, but of course he kept that a secret), but was refused. She said that it wasn't safe today, that a storm would be brewing and that they had to keep him safe. He never understood that. He wasn't going to be the next heir, he had two elder brothers and one of them was going to be the heir, not that he'd ever interacted enough with them to know which would, but he was always the one in captive. His siblings all had freedom to go in and out of the house as they pleased, but he always had to ask for permission. They were ones going to school and he was the one who was home-schooled. It was always him and him only. It made no sense.

Which was why Shouto was bored out of mind, looking off into the blue sky and wondering how in _flaming icicles_ was there going to be a storm, when the house phone beside him rang and had him jumping to his feet and saluting like an army sergeant.

"Sir, yes, oh, wait." He blinked, dropping his hand. He knew he was watching too many movies with Ochako, he mulled over in his head before hesitating to pick up the phone.

Strange things always happened when he was the one to pick up the ringing device. He first did it when he was three, when he was still innocent and unharmed, and a strange voice asked him if he was Todoroki Shouto. He didn't know who the person was across the line, but his mother told him not to talk to strangers so he kept his mouth shut. Then the person started muttering something he couldn't hear, and before he could listen more, his mother appeared and gently took away the phone, telling him to go back to his room.

The second time was when he was six. This time it happened when he was just done puking his innards out and walked by the phone conveniently as it started to ring. His head still foggy from the training, he absentmindedly picked it up to be greeted with gunshots and a deep voice. He still remembered it.

" _Are you Todoroki Shouto?"_

He remembered waking up instantly and his senses activated, high on guard. He tried to steel his voice, but his throat was sore from screaming and yelling, and nothing came out of his mouth. He didn't know what to do, and when his grandmother passed by, he tossed it into her hands and ran away.

He hated to admit it, but he was still wary of ringing phones.

He looked around, but there seemed to be no one approaching. With a defeated sigh, he reached out and picked it up, putting it to his ear. He steeled his nerves and waited.

" _Hello…? This is Fuyuka, is Shouto there?"_

He froze.

Literally.

His right side's power spiked in the amount of shock Shouto felt, and his grip on his quirk loosened that half of him was now covered in ice. He quickly responded, his left side activating as his body started to warm up, the ice melting.

"M…mom?" He answered weakly, his hand gripping the phone tightly.

He heard a quiet gasp, and a breath of relief. _"Oh…Shouto…It's been nearly a year, hasn't it? I'm sorry for not calling you earlier…"_

He shook his head fervently, before recalling that she couldn't see it. "I-it's okay! I-I'm, fine, it's not your fault! But, why all of a sudden…?"

He heard her take in a deep breath. _"I…I read your letter."_

His body warmed. After mulling over the words of his first friend, he decided to send a letter to the hospital to her. He still couldn't work up the nerve to meet her, he just couldn't, but he didn't want to leave things hanging as well. So he decided to express his feelings in words, and hoped that she would understand, understand why he couldn't see her just yet, understand that he was okay right now and that he still loved her even if she gave him a scar, that he always thought of her and was extremely grateful of her being in his life.

" _I'm so happy to know that you're okay…I thought you would hate me for what happened…"_

He rebutted immediately. "I wouldn't. I would never, ever hate you. I can't, not when it's not your fault. It was that stupid guy's fault, not yours. You don't have to worry about me hating you when I don't have it in me."

She was stunned, he presumed, by the long silence. Not knowing what to do, he just decided to wait and he sat down on the wooden floor, crossing his legs as his hands shook slightly.

"… _Shouto… I love you…"_

"I love you too, mom."

"… _Haha…All this time, I thought I was being a burden to you, I thought if I wasn't there you would have been happier… Because he married me I gave birth to you, if I had known that this would cause you this much pain, I wished-"_

"Mom. I'm your son, I'm not anyone else's, I'm your son, Todoroki Shouto." He whispered, his voice trembling. "I'm glad to have a mother like you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have survived in this place."

' _If it wasn't for you, I would have never met Ochako. If it wasn't for you, I would have given up on being a hero. If it wasn't for you, I would have gone crazy. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for making you go over the line, I'm sorry that I made you snap, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-'_

He was cut off from his thoughts by his mother's laughter. _"…Thank you, Shouto. Those words, they mean so much to me. You… you be sure to live happily, okay? Don't let anything tie you down, be the person you always wanted to be, not what that person demands of you. I'll be rooting for you all the way."_

His voice choked. "Of course. I will be a hero, a hero that will save people and keep them safe. A hero that's not like him."

She chuckled, and he wanted to curl up in a ball. It's only been a year since they were separated, but he missed her so much. He wanted to meet her right now, but he stopped himself. He made a promise to himself before he would go see her, he would fulfill it no matter what.

"I'm sorry, mom… I want to go see you…but, not right now. Just a bit more, can I visit after I accomplished what I wanted to do first?"

" _Shouto, it's okay. Just knowing that you're healthy and doing well is enough for me. You don't have to come."_

"But I want to."

"… _Haha, okay. I'll be waiting."_

The phone hung up. He gently put it down, before taking a deep breath and marching off into the direction of the training room, his damp clothes and hair making small puddles as he walked.

Training with Endeavor for the day was over, but that didn't mean his day was finished. It was better than staring at the sky for hours, at least. He had to get stronger, strong enough to use both of his quirks and mesh them into one.

He would stop at nothing to get stronger, for himself, and for her.

…

Now, skip to a month and a few days later in my home when I was finally discharged on a Saturday one day.

I was finally free, I was finally back home. When I found out the news, I was exhilarated. I told Fuyuka about it first thing, and she was glad for me, just a little sad that I wouldn't be there to talk to her anymore. Yes, even after that slightly rocky time I talked with her, I continued to talk to her and she responded with smiles and laughter. She seemed to get better each day, her hair looking less like stalks and her skin looking peachier than frosty white. I had no idea what was the change, but I was glad. She was getting better; she was recovering mentally and physically.

I told her that I would visit when I can, and left the hospital and my boring, white abode behind as I entered the almost nostalgic view of my house.

Well, being in my house was fun and all, but you know what?

"Mama, I'm fine. I know my arm is still in a cast, but I'm fine." I tried to comfort her to the best of my ability. "I just want to take a walk! I've been cramped up in that sickly room for two months when I thought it would be only one! Never to breathe fresh air!"

Yes, originally I was supposed to be released in a month, but my wound was repairing slower than the doctor thought, so mother made me stay an extra month just in case.

"I know, I know…" Mother admitted and stroked my head. "I'm just so worried… Promise not to get into trouble?"

"I promise." I firmly said, looking at her in the eye. "I promise I won't get into any trouble, and I'll come home in the exact same state as I am now."

"Dear, let's let her take a walk." Father kissed me on the cheek. "She is right; I don't think I could stand being cooped up in a closed space for more than 60 days either."

"61 days to be exact."

Mother faltered and finally agreed, letting out a deep sigh. "Okay, I trust you."

I let out a blinding smile and hugged her to the best of my abilities. "Thank you. I'll be eternally grateful!" I called as I put on my shoes and nearly ran out the door at the speed of light.

I took in a deep breath as I indulged in the outdoors. Since that it was Musutafu, it still had a little bit more green compared to the crowed areas of Tokyo. The air was a lot fresher than inside the hospital room, and I felt exhilarated. I also finally got to wear the new taekwondo shoes I got from Shouto, and they fit so perfectly. Needless to say I was in a very good mood, even if my arm was still a little unmovable.

I was itching to train. I wanted to kick something, or break a vase. You know the sound a shattered vase makes? Very satisfying. Wooden boards being split in halves or more sounded good too.

Am I weird? Maybe.

I turned the corner to enter an area close to the shopping district. Going near the place wasn't exactly a good memory, but passing by here would be a natural part of my life. I couldn't afford to get a trauma over something like that.

I didn't know why, but what Shouto said suddenly resurfaced in my mind. He told me that All Might had saved me. That was confirmed during his visit during my stay at the facility. I realized that I was a very lucky and unlucky person.

Why?

"Damn, I couldn't believe my unofficial first encounter with the world's greatest hero was with puke coming out of my mouth…" I mumbled as I passed an alleyway.

…

…

…

I backtracked and turned my head slowly to the left.

A man was lying on the ground with blood all over his body.

He looked eerily familiar until my mind registered the mop of ashen hair with a faint touch of blue.

…Aw rotten poopbunnies. Is the world tempting me or trying to kill me?!

* * *

 **Ello', nice to see you all! I managed to finish another chapter this week!**

 **It's a lot longer than usual, and that's good. I plan to increase the contents of the chapters as I move on, and hopefully everybody reading these chapters will be happy and satisfied.**

 **Oh, and I also created a new account on Archive of our Own! You can check it out if you want to!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	6. Chapter 5: Five checks of reality

**Chapter five! Enjoy, my lovely readers! Sadly, this will be all for this week!**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 5: Five checks of reality**

What to do?

Hell if I know.

My eye twitched as I saw the very, very familiar collapsed form of a certain _Shiragaki Tomura._ Or in this case, _Shimura Tenko?_

Wait, I'm eight years old right now. That means it was seven years before the actual story started. Shiragaki Tomura was in his early twenties in canon. And this scene of him being beaten up and bloody, it reminded me of… Of…

My breath hitched.

 _All for One._

No, no, no, no. This cannot happen. Shimura Tenko, I assumed, if he met All for One here, he will no doubt be Shiragaki Tomura in the near future. Meaning, the League of Villains will be formed, and…

Shit.

…Oh, well. I guess it's time to mess up things again.

I approached the fallen figure, my senses heightened just in case All for One was nearby. I kneeled down and peered into his bloody face. I opened my mouth and tried to speak in the softest voice I could muster.

"Hey, are you awake?" I put my hand under his nose. I could feel him breathing, he wasn't dead yet. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, you're not dead yet. But with this blood loss, it might be a matter of time…" I muttered.

I called out to him again. "Hey, do you have your conscious intact? I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm going to carry you to the hospital, okay? I'm not here to hurt you; I'm going to save you."

I did a check on his body. Broken arms, cuts all over his back, and one of his legs were bent at an unnatural angle as well. I winced. If this was his back, I wonder how bad the front of his body was.

I touched his body and activated my quirk. I tried not to reduce his mass too much, just a little so I could carry him but not shatter like glass if I accidently dropped him. The gravity on him was nullified, and he started floating. I grimaced at the blood stains on the ground, but decided to man up and look under his body, while holding his sleeve to make sure he didn't float off into nothingness.

Holy-mother-effing, how was this guy still alive?!

The front was worse, a lot worse than the back. He had a huge gash in the middle of his chest, and more cuts littered all over his body, some looking deep and most looking light. The blood was a shining, deep red, revealing that the wound was still fresh and I found him just in time. I couldn't imagine the pain he must have been going through.

I couldn't carry him like this. I couldn't touch him anywhere without hurting him even more. I had thought of snaking my arm around his torso and pulling him, but it seemed impossible. The other option was to call an ambulance, but I didn't have a phone.

I gritted my teeth. I could shout for someone to help, but as I looked behind me, nobody was paying attention to what was going on in the alleyway. I bit my lip harsher.

He was right. This hero revolved society was tainted, and wrong. I could understand why he had grown to become hateful of heroes.

I shook my head. This was no time to be ugly, I told myself. Just think of rescuing him, I looked up at him, and nearly shitted myself when I saw that his eye was cracked open and staring at me.

"Uh…" I lamely blurted out. "Hey."

Yes, count number two of lame greetings.

"…"

"Uhh, mister? Do you have a phone I could use? I can't carry you like this, and I don't have a phone to call an ambulance…so…"

He opened his mouth, and a raspy and hoarse voice replied. "…Back…Pocket…"

I nodded and gently set him to the ground again before releasing my quirk. I walked around him and put my hand into his bloodied pocket. My hands found something cold, and I pulled it out to see that it was indeed, a smart phone. The screen was cracked, but I could open it and the call option was functioning.

I hastily dialed 119 and put it to my ear. I quickly explained the situation to the person I was talking to, gave them the address and prayed for them to come as quickly as possible. After the call was done, I walked in front of him and kneeled once more. His closed eye opened again and looked up at me blearily.

I got to say, I was impressed. How he'd managed to talk to me with all the injuries on his body shocked me. Hell, I fainted after having a broken shoulder, this guy had both his arms and one of his leg broken and was still conscious enough to speak. He had guts and a mental strength that I wanted to have. Yes, I was envious of a half beaten to death man. Who was again, the guy who had the possibility of becoming Shiragaki 'Decaying' Tomura.

"Don't worry, it's going to okay soon." I reassured him. "The ambulance will be here soon. You'll be fine, I promise. I'm not going to let you die in front of me, I'll swear on a thousand fish buckets. Yes, fish buckets are important to me, they're filled with fish which means seafood, which means more seafood ramen than anyone could think of."

He stared at me as if I was an idiot. Hell, I could sense him questioning my mental capabilities by his half lidded eye.

"Well, joking aside, I do mean it. I won't let you die, and I wish I could do more for you, but well, I'm kind of in a bind myself." I gestured to my arm in a cast. "The most I can do is reassuring you, which may not be much of help, but…"

"…Why…?"

"Why? Why am I trying to rescue you, I presume?" I looked at him for confirmation, and he blinked slowly. I took it as a yes.

"It's simple, really. I see a person on the brink of death, bleeding his guts out and practically calling for help, what do I do? I can't ignore someone like that." I channeled my inner All Might and gave him the brightest smile I could muster.

The siren of an ambulance was heard. I stood up. "Looks like our ride is here."

I rode with him inside the ambulance, trying and most probably failing to reassure him while we zoomed past the streets, but I couldn't help but feel like he was looking at me the entire time with a strange emotion hidden in his gaze.

 **XXX**

After we arrived at the hospital, I was left in the lobby while waiting for his treatment to be over. As soon as I heard the news that he was stable, but unconscious, I let out a breath of relief before heeding the building goodbye. It was getting late, and mother would definitely worry.

I forgot to wash off the blood on my clothes when I returned home.

I hope I didn't kill my parents by looking like the grim reaper with one less of an arm.

"Ochako! What happened?!"

"Mama, calm down, it's nothing, just a small accident-"

"ACCIDENT?!"

"MAMA I FOUND A NEARLY DEAD TEENAGER LYING IN THE ALLEYWAY WHAT DID YOU THINK I SHOULD'VE DONE?!"

"…"

"Ochako…"

"…Sorry daddy, I'll make some hot chocolate or something…Please carry mama to the couch…"

After I made that serving of hot chocolate and placed it on a table next to my unconscious mother, I went to my room and plopped onto my bed.

To be honest, I was scared. I had never seen so much blood before, and if I were a regular person there was no doubt I'd think that he was dead. He was really something to be able to survive something like that.

What the hell happened anyway? Why was he all beaten up like that? What kind of trouble did he get himself caught up into?

…Was I going to get caught up in his troubles too?

Man. These people are a handful. I just finished defeating a villain and semi fixed (Or at least I think so, just a teeny eeny microscopic bit) Shouto's family problems. I still haven't come into contact with any other main character besides Shouto.

Was the universe trying to tell me something…?

…Nah, it probably hates me and is still trying to kill me with cosmic mumbo jumbo after I accidently threw a pie at the huge golden bell at the Sensouji shrine and interrupted a bunch of people praying in church by throwing my souvenirs at the huge cross during my field trip in first grade.

…I tripped, okay? I really didn't mean to, I swear that snot nosed brat pushed me.

I then remembered that I had school tomorrow, and I was dreading it. I sighed and buried my face into my pillows. If I faked that the blood was actually mine, maybe I wouldn't have to go…

Of course that wish was not granted and I found myself face to face with the building of doom after getting out of the car.

"Mama…" I sent her a pleading look. She shook her head.

"No, Ochako, you're already here. It's just school, it's not going to kill you." She told me in a soft tone and smiled.

Dear mother, you are severely underestimating the sheer annoyingness of primary school brats. They can kill you with their stupidity, and it's not even funny. I wanted to blurt it out but I held my tongue, giving a defeated sigh and turned around, walking towards the school building.

I felt like thousands of people were looking at me. Yeah, I had a cast on, so what? What was so intriguing about me that they needed to stare at me?

I saw a couple girls whispering as they pointed and giggled, and I promptly shot them a glare and tried my best not to flip them off. They froze at my zero point look, and hastily turned around, murmuring something under their breaths and scuttling away.

Yeah, nice Ochako. Just send the hundred amount of primary school kids glares that could rival Shouto's and they'll be packing in no time. I'll be the king! Muhuahuahuahua!

Okay, enough monologue. I must be damn bored.

At the end of the day, people were still giving me looks as I walked through the halls and I couldn't get a single clue why.

Until a little kid, probably a first grader ran into me and pointed.

"Hey! You're the puking girl who was saved by All Might!"

I stopped.

…Oh, so that was why.

" _Mass Reduction: Zero Gravity._ Don't worry kid; a throw from the second floor won't kill you. See that flimsy looking branch on that tree? I'll deactivate it as soon as you're on top of it."

"Waaaah, let me down! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Putting my sucky life at school aside.

Ever since that meeting in the alleyway, I went to the hospital after school to check if Shimura Tenko had woken up. I even told Shouto about him one Sunday afternoon, when it was already autumn and it was getting chilly. Wearing coats with a cast on sucked, so I decided to have him over as we talked about stuff covered in blankets and marathon through kung fu movies.

"Ochako, do you have a trouble magnet stuck to you or something?" He asked me blankly, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands as he sat with his legs pulled in, on the space beside me. I shrugged and gave my own mug a sip, surrounded by pillows on top of the couch.

"Well my dear half and half, in this case I would be the trouble magnet, not something stuck to me."

"You look like you're having fun though." He commented, eating a marshmallow from the pack on the table. I opened my mouth as he took another one out and threw it, the fluffy sweetness landing right into my mouth.

"Really? Well, you don't get to see a bloodied teen lying on the roadside every so often." I drank my drink, gulping it down with the sweetness of the marshmallow.

"…"

"Shouto, stop looking at me like that. I'm not a trouble junkie."

"If you say so." He put his cup down and went silent. I quirked my head, following his actions as I noticed something was wrong. He wasn't looking at me anymore, and his fingers were nervously tangled up in each other.

"Hey, Shouto? You mind telling me what's on your mind?"

He stiffened, before letting out a small sigh, his shoulders slumping. "…I talked to my mother."

"Oh, you talked to-WHAT?!"

He winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep it a secret."

I pushed my jaw back from its gaping position. "Since when?"

"During your time at the hospital." He scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, didn't tell you this, but she's actually in the same hospital as you…"

"I know, we met. We're pretty good friends." I told him dryly. He nodded.

"I see…Wait, what?"

"Go on, I want to hear your story first. I'll tell you mine later."

He gave me a doubtful and disbelieving look. "You… Fine." He sighed and leaned his head on my shoulder, his eyes fixated on the television screen.

"You've been telling me to do something about her for a while. Even though I denied taking action, I knew that what you said was true. So, I guess I finally did something. I sent her a letter and then-"

"She called you?" I deliberately asked. He nodded, before his eyes widened and he got up.

"How did-oh." His eyes narrowed as I let a smirk creep onto my face. He looked pointedly at me.

"You told her something, didn't you?"

"Hey, it was an accident; I thought her room was the bathroom when I first met her. I just saw the nameplate, pieced the pieces together, and decided to meddle. It helped, didn't it?" I wiggled my eyebrows mischievously. He frowned and extended his hand, flicking his finger onto my forehead.

"Ow! You son of a-"

"We're going to train harder once your bones fully recover."

"Oh, come on Shouto!"

One problem down, a billion more to go.

Two weeks after I found him, my cast was off and I was as happy as could be with all my wounds fully healed. Had a nasty scar on my shoulder and stomach, but hey, they looked like symbols of war and it was pretty cool. Of course I didn't say that in front of everyone, I didn't want to risk having a concussion next. And I was pretty glad I could go back to my Taekwondo lessons I took in the neighborhood.

Then a day later, Shimura Tenko woke up.

 **XXX**

I was doing my daily visit to the hospital I visited enough times to call it my second home. I was expecting a still fainted pale blue teen, not exactly alive but alive lying on his bed like a corpse.

I did not expect the food tray that came flying my way when I opened the door.

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelped as I ducked, the tray coming in contact with the wall behind me, the gross sound of mush hitting against solid sounding out. I whipped my head around to see Shimura Tenko, his hand extending in my direction which told me he was the one who threw that thing at me. His blood red eyes glared at me, before recognition flooded into them and his hand dropped.

"Oh, it's you." His voice was lighter than I remember, but it still had that familiar rough and husky tone to it that reminded me of his older self. His pale blue hair was messy and unruly, but it was shorter compared to his canon self; being a few centimeters above his shoulders. His entire body was wrapped in bandages with an arm and a leg in a cast, the leg being elevated off the bed. His face wasn't wrinkly and dehydrated looking; in fact he looked pretty normal if it weren't for the scar on his eye and lip. A small tube was connected to his body to an IV bag that hung on a pole next to him.

"First thing I get for saving a guy's life, 'Oh, it's you.'. Gee, great way to show your appreciation." I grumbled as I approached him, dumping my bag on the floor as I pulled up a chair to sit near his bed.

"So, how're you feeling? I thought both of your arms were broken, but it seem like it wasn't the case."

"Like a level minus hundred slime. I just sprained my right wrist, it healed." He answered, his expression unpleasant. I hummed.

"Level minus, huh. Rough. So, what's your name?"

He looked at me as if I was an idiot. "Why would I tell you that?" The harsh tone that reflected in his eyes came back, and I held my arms up in peace.

"Look, I've been visiting you ever since I brought you here, and I can't keep call you 'Zombieman' in my head all the time. It would be nice to refer to you by your name." I held out a hand and he flinched, looking at my hand warily.

"I'm Uraraka Ochako, the most fantastically awesome eight year old girl in the universe. You?"

"What the hell's with that introduction?"

"It's a thing I got going on, just leave it. So? I'm not going to kill you by knowing your name; I don't have a Death Note if you're worried." I teased, my left eyebrow raised.

He glared at me for a second, before dropping the look. He didn't shake my hand, but he muttered under his breath,

"Shimura Tenko. 16 years old."

Right, okay, got it. This officially confirmed it; I had to convince him to be less Shiragaki Tomura and more Shimura Nana. Not evil, but good, or at least good enough not to be evil since the evil eye this guy could give didn't show a single shred of mercy.

"Can I call you Tenko?" I asked him, retracting my hand. He turned away.

"Call me whatever, round faced brat."

"Mind telling me why this round faced brat found you half dead in the alleyway?" I questioned, leaning forward slightly. "This round faced brat is quite curious."

"This round faced brat doesn't know when to shut up and leave people alone." A growl resounded from him as he turned to me, his deep red orbs glaring at me in irritation.

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. I just stared back at him, using my huge brown eyes to the fullest until he finally averted his, his lips forming into a scowl as he clicked his tongue.

"…I ran away." He confessed, his eyes narrowing. "My dad's dead, my mother never existed, and I got sick of everything. The end." He turned away from me again.

"…That's rough buddy. Mind telling me what happened in the alleyway?" I questioned him. He clicked his tongue once more, angling his face to only show me the side of his right eye.

"None of your business, round face. Scram."

"Gee, how polite of you." I stood up, picking up my bag. It seemed like no matter what I said to him wouldn't matter much, I had to try a different time. As I made my way to the door, I stopped halfway and turned back.

"I'll be visiting you tomorrow again, by the way. You have anything you want? I can bring some stuff from your house if you need it?" I offered helpfully, but all I got was nothing. I let out a sigh and scratched my head.

"Alright, I'll get ice cream for you. Any preferred flavor?" No one can hate ice cream. I haven't seen a single guy who hated it, hell I bet even Enma loved it and he's the guy who pulled tongues out of people's mouths. Not that it had anything to do with this conversation of course.

It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like he was thinking. He finally shifted his head to look at me again, and this time, the hostile and wary look in his eyes wasn't as prominent as before.

"…I'll take chocolate chip."

I held back a full blown grin and simply smiled at him.

As I left the room, I tried my very best not to laugh.

 _Chocolate chip…Pfftt, he's really like a kid…Hahaha, that's kind of cute…Pfft…_

My first impression of Shimura Tenko: Teen with anger management problems.

My impression of Shimura Tenko now: Teen with anger management problems who also shares a love for chocolate chip ice cream.

I had a good feeling about this.

But of course, the universe can always peak into your brain and shout, 'No WAY SHRIMP!' and throw you the lemon tree called 'jinx'.

 **XXX**

Tenko stared after the closed door.

Uraraka Ochako-Round face was a very, very weird girl. She looked no older than a primary school student, and yet the way she talked and held herself reminded him of someone older. She was unusually calm even after discovering his bloodied body in the alleyway; a normal kid her age would freak out and run away screaming bloody hell, but she approached him and tried to help, ultimately saving his life in the process.

He didn't understand her, and it irritated him. His neck itched.

She was too different to belong in this society, this society who put all their beliefs in heroes, heroes that save people without fail, heroes that are always there for you.

Well, where were those heroes when he was getting beat up to the point of death?

Nowhere.

Only a strange girl with brown eyes that talked about fish buckets appeared to save him, and he didn't understand.

He didn't lie to her, he did run away, but that was a few months ago. His father did die, but it was a year ago. He didn't know what was going on when those bastards started knocking on his door and tearing the house down; all he had to do was run and survive. He ran and ran, and just happened to end up at a bar with a strange man with purple gas as a head a few weeks ago. He did like the atmosphere there, and the barman was…strangely comforting as he listened to all of Tenko's ranting. Even if he wasn't of legal age to drink, he considered working there for a while, but everything had to come crashing down when those men found him and started beating him up.

He thought it was over, left to rot in the smelly, dark, god forsaken place when she came.

The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital.

He was grateful, despite how he acted towards her just now, but there was a huge problem.

Money. He didn't have enough to cover the bills. Insurance…he wasn't sure if he had it at all. He was screwed either way, and he was alive. If he had died, he wouldn't have to deal with all of this shit.

He gave out a deep sigh as he eyed the tube connecting to the IV bag.

If he died, it would be easier. He had nothing to live for anyway, he had no money, no home, no parents and nobody to depend on. There wasn't a point in his survival.

He should've died in that alleyway.

What was to be gained if a person like him survived?

Nothing. Just more useless trash.

His hand reached for the tube.

 **XXX**

I recalled that I never asked him whether he wanted a fresh ice cream on a cone, or the kind sold at supermarkets.

Damn it, I had to go back and ask him, didn't I? I sighed as I dragged my feet to the elevator again.

Maybe it wasn't such a big deal, but it was to me. The crisp of the cone and smell of it went amazingly with ice cream, and I would gladly bring him the one on a cone but hey, we're talking about itchy neck guy here, he might throw the thing at me and tell me to go buy the kind selling at Seven-eleven for all I know.

Geez, I wonder what would come flying at me this time. The food tray's an out, but considering how Shiragaki Tomura acted, I wouldn't be surprised if the table came flying next.

I reached his room and opened the door. "Uh, hey, Tenko-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" I screeched, sprinting to him and grabbing his hand that was trying to…

Well, I don't know-RIP OFF THE IV CORD OUT HIS ARM?!

"Fox face, what the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to kill yourself?!" I snapped, tightening my grip. He winced and his grip slackened, and I took this opportunity to pull it away from the cord. It looked like he just started pulling it out; I could see some traces of blood beginning to appear on his arm.

"I'm going to call the doctor, stay put and don't do anything stupid." I took a deep breath and calmed down. No point panicking now, it would only make the situation worse. I slowly loosened my grip and his wrist, and it was dropped to the sheets on the bed.

I turned around to press the nurse call button. It buzzed and soon enough, a nurse came to us with a look that was wondering what was wrong before I explained the situation to her. Her face turned white as she immediately went to call the doctor, and I set myself down on the chair as she left.

"So, as we're waiting, what in the foxy child's hell were you planning to do? Were you trying to kill yourself?" I questioned as he flinched before the hostile look in his eyes returned.

"So what? It's none of your business." He snapped, and I felt a vein pop.

"Look, Shimura Tenko, don't you dare tell me this is none of my business. I am the one who decided to save you; I am the one who decided to bring you here. I am the one who decided to stick my nose into your business, not leave you dead in that alley when I definitely could have. All I'm asking is that you tell me what's going on in your head right now, I won't attack you or chide you, hell I'm probably half your age and I don't know anything about this world compared to you. I just want to help, is it too much to ask for?" I pleaded, my eyes facing his blood red ones directly.

He hesitated; I could see the emotion wavering in his eyes. While he was thinking though, the door opened and the doctor came in. I stood up, and bid the thinking Tenko goodbye.

"I'll come back tomorrow. See you, fox child."

I left his room, and decided on one thing.

I'll definitely get him the kind they sell at supermarkets.

 **XXX**

I swore as loud as a blaring horn and kicked the wooden board Shouto was holding up.

"That motherfucking-ARGH!" I stomped the ground with my foot. "I can't believe the nerve of that-DAMN IT!"

That fucking Shimura Tenko. After the suicide disaster yesterday, I had woken up extra early even though it was a Saturday and went to show my face to his sorry ass, and what do I get? A nurse at the counter telling me that he specifically requested for me not to be let into his room until next Saturday.

The NERVE OF THAT UNGRATEFUL FOX!

"Ochako, calm down." Shouto voiced, both of his hands occupied with the split halves of the wooden board. He put it on the ground, dusting his hands off.

As a result, I stormed off to the usual playground Shouto and I sparred in a few hours earlier than usual, and spent the entire time kicking the huge tree next to the swings. Thanks to that, my feet hurt like ass.

"He probably just needed some time alone. Like you when I beat you in a spar." He pointed out, and I whipped my head to give him an indignant look.

"I do not sulk! This, Shimura Tenko locked me out of his room for a week! After I specifically told him I would go and see him today! I even bought the chocolate chip ice cream they sell at Seven-eleven!" I flapped my hands up and down to emphasize my raged feelings. "I can't believe him!"

"You tend to go overboard sometimes after all." Shouto brushed off my complaints and got into a fighting stance, his arms at his side and his legs apart. "Come on, give me your best kick."

I huffed and steadied my form before twisting my lower body to make a firm kick at Shouto's chest. He blocked it with his right hand, but I turned my body around to make a reverse kick with my right leg, this time making contact with his shoulder. He exhaled before taking a swift step back, avoiding my incoming roundhouse kick that swiped the air.

I approached him quickly, using light and fast steps before bringing up my legs up consecutively to make a rush of kicks, which he mostly avoided or blocked. I saw a faint smirk crawl up his face, and I moved just in time when his fist came flying out and narrowly missing the side of my face. I was so focused on his fist that I didn't notice his leg coming up to kick me in the side. I felt my breath leave me, but I held on and steadied myself when my feet came in contact with the ground. Shifting my feet, I once again twisted my body to make a back kick, hitting his stomach and sending him a few steps backwards.

He let out a small cough; I didn't give him the chance to recover and continued my kicks, mixing a few punches in here and there. As always, he recovered from my attack quickly and immediately went into counter mode; dodging most of them and redirecting my blows, making me lose balance, which was my ultimate mistake.

He sealed it with a firm punch that made contact with the space between my chest and neck, making me gasp for air.

I fell to the ground in a fit of coughs. He loosened his stance immediately, kneeling down beside me.

"You alright? I think I took it too far." He asked; a hint of concern lacing in his voice. I shook my head as I steadied my breathing, a small smirk making its way onto my face.

"Naw, you did it just right. I needed something like that. It's been a while since I actually fought." I took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling better. I lifted myself to my feet, Shouto following me.

"Well," I started, making my way to the bag I threw onto the swings. I dug around for a bit before my hand touched what I was looking for, and I pulled out a container. I shot him a smile, holding the ice cream box out for him to see.

"You want some chocolate chip ice cream? It's probably melted though." I joked, my smile widening to show my teeth. He chuckled, walking to me and taking the box out of my hand.

"Got any spoons?" I whipped out two and he gladly took the other one.

Well, at least the ice cream I bought didn't go to waste.

We were so busy being engrossed in sparring, that we didn't notice a pair of eyes widening when they spotted us.

 **XXX**

A week passed and I was so looking forward to smashing that fox's face in.

I woke up earlier than usual, at seven in the morning. I hurried; throwing on some clothes I randomly got my hands on and ate the leftovers from last night as breakfast. I left a note on the table that I went to the hospital to visit the teen I picked up, brushed my teeth and such before leaving the house.

Of course I stopped at Seven-eleven to buy more ice cream, I planned on throwing it at his face.

When I got to the hospital, it was around eight-thirty. Visiting hours were from eight in the morning to eight in the night, so after I spoke with the nurse at the front, I made my way up to Shimura Tenko's room.

I opened his door without hesitance when I reached his place. I was prepared for another food tray to fly at me so I took a guarded stance when I pulled open the entrance.

To my shock, nothing happened.

I slowly opened my eyes, waiting for the attack that never came. I approached his bed with tentative steps, peering into his resting area with caution.

His eyes were closed and his breath was steady. The cord that he had tried to rip out was safely attached to his arm, and I sighed in relief. He wasn't dead, thank god. I didn't know what to expect when he locked me out of his hospital room for a week.

I found a chair placed near his bed and sat on it, setting the ice cream box on the table by the bed. I propped up my arms on my knees, resting my chin in my hands. I stared at the peacefully sleeping form of Shimura Tomura, thoughts wandering around my mind.

He looked so innocent and harmless. His hair was in many directions, giving him a child-like image as he slept. The furrow in his brow was gone, as was the nasty scowl. A person like this could become a villain, huh, I dryly thought.

I sighed, covering my eyes.

How could I think of him like that? He wasn't a villain; I recalled the dazed and lost look in his eyes when I stopped him from suicide. He was just lost and wandering, he had no idea what to do in his life which resulted in him taking those actions. He wasn't Shiragaki Tomura, Shiragaki Tomura was a man who knew what he wanted and did everything to achieve them, Shimura Tenko was a lost child that had nowhere to go.

They were two different people, but I was treating them as if they were the same person.

I exhaled deeply, opening my eyes.

I stood up abruptly, taking a small notepad out of my bag. I scribbled down something on the note and ripped it off, slapping it down onto the table. I took a deep breath and faced the slumbering teen.

"If you ever need anyone, I'm here." I told him in the softest voice I could muster. "I won't abandon you."

I turned on my heel and bid the lonely abode goodbye.

 **XXX**

Tenko opened his eyes after hearing the door shut close.

He knew she would visit; she was the kind of stubborn and persistent person he pegged her to be. What surprised him was the fact that she had left without initiating any kind of contact with him. He thought she would even slap him awake just to talk to him, but she just left without doing anything.

His gaze averted to the table next to his bed. A container of chocolate chip ice cream sat on top of it, a note below the box. He outstretched his arm, luckily it was at arm's length, and he pulled out the note from under the ice cream.

It was blank except for a number scribbled on it.

If he was right, that was her house number. He let out a small breath, she wanted him to call her whenever he was ready, he assumed. Until he was willing to pour out his feelings, explain what he was doing before they met, she was going to wait and when the time came, listen.

His vision got cloudy all of a sudden, a pang in his heart accompanying it.

He bit his lip as he refused to let out anything of resemblance to a cry, tears streaming down his face as the not-so lonely teen finally found some comfort in his world.

 **XXX**

He was summoned by his father.

Shouto was impatient. It was Saturday morning, the time when he was usually walking to the playground he and Ochako were supposed to meet up in. His father just had to pick a bad timing when he decided he needed to see Shouto.

He tapped his finger restlessly against his knee as he did the seiza on the tatami. He was thinking of finally allowing the both of them to use their quirks in today's spar, Ochako's form was improving despite the blank she had, and she should be ready to adapt her quirk into her fighting style. Since she was now able to reduce mass as while as nullify gravity, if she could reduce the mass of a person the instance she made contact without taking time to concentrate, she could deal damage quicker. Maybe if she could control the amount of gravity she nullified, she could use the surrounding objects as weapons-

"Shouto."

He snapped out of his muse, his concentrated expression melting into one of indifference. He raised his head to make eye contact with his shitty father, Endeavor, or Todoroki Enji. His father was wearing his hero costume as usual, a navy bodysuit with flames streaming all over his chest, arms and shoulders. The flames also covered his face like a mask, his striking blue eyes that held resemblance to Shouto's left eye making him sick.

"What do you want?" He tried to keep his voice as emotionless as possible. Enji scowled, his flames bursting, irritated.

"What have you been doing recently?" He questioned. It took a moment for Shouto to process the question, to which he let confusion slip through his cold façade.

"What do you mean? I've been training and studying, just as usual." He replied, trying to keep his nerves steady. He had a bad feeling about this, a creeping chill was sneaking up his back and he knew for certain that it had nothing to do with his quirk.

Enji's eyes turned colder. "Don't lie to me Shouto. I saw you outside the other day."

Shouto's breath hitched. His eyes widened, his emotionless expression gone.

"Who was that girl with you?" Enji continued, taking note of how Shouto's acting crumbed in front of his eyes.

"Nobody. Just a random person." He quickly lied, wincing on how fake it sounded.

It was obvious that he wasn't telling the truth, so Enji didn't stop. "You don't spar with random people on the street, Shouto. You're not supposed to be even allowed to go out of this house." His flames flickered.

Shouto felt a rush of anger enter his veins, his right side activating as ice spiked out of the tatami, decreasing the temperature in the room. "What are you implying?" He growled out, his fist tightening.

"You are not allowed to see her, or make any form of contact with her. I don't know who gave you permission, but you are not allowed to leave this mansion either. Considering how you stopped improving in your training, I'll triple the training menu and plan your entire day, from the time you wake up to the time you sleep. I will not have you getting distracted from your true goal, especially because of a little brat's meddling." Enji spoke calmly, anger evident in his voice.

That was it.

That was the last straw.

Hurting his mother? Taking away his freedom? He could bear his teeth and deal with it, no matter how much he wanted to slug that sorry excuse for a father in.

"If you disobey, I'll hunt down that girl of yours and sent her where I sent your mother."

But taking away Ochako? A terrifying vision of Endeavor gripping Ochako's neck as she gasped for air flashed in his mind.

 _"Shouto." She grinned while taunting him, her fingers making said motion. "Come on, I'm waiting for you! You better be prepared to get your ass kicked!"_

Flames burst out of Shouto's left side as he screamed in agony, lunging at his shitty father.

* * *

 **More Todoroki Family drama. How wonderful. Shouto, I wish I could get rid of Endeavor for you and let you and your mother live a happy life.**

 **I hoped I portrayed Tenko well enough. He's a teen, teens are supposed to be angsty and shit until someone like Ochako becomes their light. She's making some progress with the important characters, just wonder how she'll deal with Endeavor next, huh?**

 **I want to thank my fellow readers who left a review! I'm so glad you decided to take the time to write something for my story, I really appreciate the gesture. I'll do my best to keep all my followers entertained, I hope you'll love badass Ochako as much as I do. I got the idea of a badass Ochako after seeing her fight with Katsuki, I mean come on she held her own against a guy who can combust. She's freaking awesome and I love her and I wanted to show her more badass side, which led to making this story.**

 **Well, I'll see you next week! Goodbye, dear readers~**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	7. Chapter 6: Six blows of change

**-"When life gives you lemons? How should I know what to do with them, I hate lemons. I'd throw an entire lemon tree back at life and laugh in its face when the damn juice splatters all over them."- Uraraka Ochako.**

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 6: Six blows of change**

A flaming fist connected with flesh.

Shouto snarled with vigor, all of his hate and anger put into that one attack. Flames licked at his skin, but he wasn't afraid of it anymore. He wasn't that little boy who got burnt by his own flames anymore. No, the fire was his friend, his ally. The only fire he'd have to fear was not his, but the monster's. This fire was warm and inviting, it was his. His fire.

He panted as Enji stumbled across the tatami floor. His eyes were wild and full of raw emotion as he glared at the taller man. The next words that spilled from his lips shocked not only Enji, but himself as well.

" _If you hurt her, I will kill you."_

His fire grew stronger, igniting the wooden walls. He could hear the faint crumbling of the roof; this room was going to be burnt down if he didn't control himself. He knew that he should, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. Only the man in front of him mattered right now.

Unfortunately, Enji didn't seem to care about the room, nor about Shouto's feelings either.

"Shouto…" Enji breathed, standing up as if Shouto's punch had no effect on him at all. He approached the smaller boy; causing him to tense up and for his flames to erupt more violently.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He roared defensively, his arms in a guarded position in front of him. Enji didn't pay any attention to Shouto's obvious intimidation; he reached out and gripped Shouto's shoulders, almost crushing the boy with his brute strength. Shouto hissed and thrashed, but nothing he did seem to have any effect on Enji.

"Shouto, my son!" He cackled, his grip tightening as Shouto winced in pain. "I knew you'd stop resisting me! I knew you would give in and use your fire powers eventually!" He threw his head back and let loose a booming laughter.

Shouto always knew, but he never thought it as much as he did now; Todoroki Enji, no, Endeavor was _crazy._ He was power hungry and drunk with ambition, he didn't care about anything else but himself.

And Shouto was sick of it.

"Let me go!"

"Shouto, I'll have to remake your training menu!" Endeavor continued, not hearing Shouto's screams of resistance. "I knew you were going to let go of your futile resistance eventually! You will be the world's greatest hero! You will be strong enough to overcome All Might!"

No, Shouto thought. Not with you. I'll never be the hero you want me to be.

 _His mother smiled warmly at him as she stroked his hair lovingly. "It's okay not to be bound by blood. You decide who you want to become."_

" _Now," Ochako put her hands together, shooting him a cheeky smile that he remembered so fondly._

" _What do you want to do?"_

He screamed in anger; and brought his knee up to gut Endeavor in the stomach.

He erased his fire and activated his right side, ice exploding out of his knee and covering Endeavor's entire body in a heartbeat. He felt so driven by his feelings, all of his pent up emotions were finally released, and right then, he felt that nothing was impossible. His ice was cold enough to not melt instantly at Endeavor's flames projecting from his costume, and Endeavor's grip slackened with the sudden attack, so Shouto took that moment to pry himself away from the his arms.

He burst out of the burning room and ran. He ran pass his grandmother who was probably worried about the smoke coming out of the windows. He ran past his siblings who were rushing to the burning room with buckets of water in their hands. His eyes caught the gaze of Fuyumi's, his sister, and she silently shared a small smile with him.

 _Go,_ her eyes seemed to say _. Go._

He plunged forward without anything in his way. As he exited the manor and continued running, he swore he had never felt so free. The wind felt so good in his hair, in his face, and the burn he could feel in his legs was exhilarating. His lips finally quirked up into a small smile. Feeling overwhelmed with everything, he burst into a full grin as he let out a yell of delight.

He was free. He fought back.

Ochako was safe. His mother was safe.

They were okay. Things were going to be okay.

He arrived at the playground an hour later than schedule. His breath hitched when he saw Ochako kicking the tree next to the swings, her feet red. After a back kick firmly made contact with the bark, she exhaled, bringing up a hand to wipe away the sweat from her forehead.

She was safe. She was okay, he thought, tears welling up in his eyes.

Ochako turned at that moment to see Shouto running at full speed at her. She did a couple double takes when she saw his face, and her eyes widened to the size of the moon.

"OCHAKOOOOO!" He shouted with all of his might, sprinting towards her in blindness.

"Shouto?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED-BLARGH!" Her breath was knocked out of her as he tackled her to the ground. They were propelled by the force of his jump, and they were knocked back into the sandbox. Sand flew up around them and Shouto could hear her coughing, but he couldn't care less. His arms tightened around her, and he let loose a laugh.

She was here with him. He was here with her.

They were fine. They were free.

They were okay.

 **XXX**

Never did I think I would see the day Shouto tackled me to the ground in a feet of flurry emotions.

Now that I did, I can safely say that I saw everything that needed to be seen in life.

"Soooo," I started, swinging on the swing as Shouto sat on the one next to me. "You beat up Endeavor, huh?"

After that little surprise, I finally managed to make Shouto let go of me and calm down. His eyes were still a little widened from the adrenaline rush, but his breath and heartbeat were relatively slower compared to the past few minutes. He was panting slightly, but the smile on his face made me forget everything I wanted to say to him since I thought he ditched me.

Since that I didn't want to stay butt deep in sand, I requested that we talk on the swings. He agreed, and here we were, him explaining his story.

"I guess…Well, not really." He said sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "I just kicked him in the gut and froze him, then I ran."

I was fucking proud of this half popsicle.

"Dude, you just got away from your sick excuse of a parent. How are you not deliriously happy? Hell, I could shimmy down to hell with glowing pants and come back alive with all the giddiness I have right now!" I waved my arms around. Damn, his excitement was getting to me too. I shot him a huge grin and he reciprocated, his smile just a little less wide than mine. I got up from my place and outstretched a hand towards him.

"Come on party boy. We got a celebration to do." I said in the most serious voice as possible. He let out a laugh and took my hand. I pulled him and practically ran all the way to my house.

I was so glad I could wail like a baby right now. He finally stood up to Endeavor and punched the gut out of him, like a fucking badass. Hell I wished I could've seen the look on that jerk's face when Shouto unleashed his flames of fury and ice of hatred. Damn, I always knew it but my best friend was as BAMF as hell and I loved the shit out of that half-and-half.

When we arrived at my humble abode, I told mother whether it was okay for Shouto to stay over. He looked at me in surprise, but I was sure that he didn't want to go back to that mansion right now; there was a high chance Endeavor was still lurking around. Then again, since that he already knew of my relationship with Shouto, our meeting may not be that far down the road.

Mother was happy to have Shouto over no matter the time or occasion, and as always, promised to make his favorite dish; cold soba. His eyes lightened up like fireworks at that moment, and I felt my heart bloom in happiness at seeing the delighted expression on his face.

Father was surprised at the sudden occur of event, but he just chuckled and patted both of our heads.

"You both look like you've been through a lot." He smiled, ruffling Shouto's hair. "Have as much fun as you can tonight, you deserve the rest."

"Ochako." He murmured, touching his head. I turned to him, my face stuffed with chicken.

"Ya?"

"Thank you." He turned to look at me and the chicken almost got caught in my throat. He looked at me with such warmth and sincerity, it almost made me blush. But hey, Uraraka Ochako wasn't known for blushing (the permanent blush didn't count, it was passed down from my mother), so I just swallowed the meat down and slung my arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Shouto, I should be the one thanking you." I chuckled, my brown eyes meeting his gray and blue ones. "I couldn't have had a more badass friend than you."

He smiled and he gently bumped his forehead to mine. I nearly went cross-eyed, and he let out a small laugh.

"You too, Ochako." He replied.

"The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe?" I cheekily said, separating from him and pushing a fist in his direction.

"The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe." He replied, and our fist bumped together.

We ate, drank, and partied (Translation: We played Uno and Twister like bauses) till both of us collapsed of fatigue, but we were smiling and laughing all the way. I had never seen Shouto smile so freely until this day, and I was glad that I stayed by his side. His smile made everything worth it.

However, karma seems to love me a lot, because the next day when I woke up, mother was standing in front of us with a pale face and a letter in her hands.

The sender was Todoroki Enji.

 **XXX**

"So, he wants me to meet him in person, eh?" I muttered, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.

After that little horrifying disaster we had this morning, Shouto and I were sitting cross-legged on the floor in my room. Although mother was shit worried, Shouto and I tried our best to ensure that we weren't going to do anything stupid and that he just wanted to meet me because I was being such a good friend to his son. (I didn't know how we pulled off that bullshit lie. I was sure both of my eyes were twitching the entire time.).

"Ochako, don't go." Shouto said to me, his eyes cast down. "He's going to hurt you. He thinks that you're a distraction to my growth, and if we go it'll be like jumping into an abyss that leads to hell."

"But if I ignore him, there's a chance he might burn this entire house down." I countered, furrowing my eyebrows. "I can't let mama and daddy get mixed up in this. Plus, daddy worked so hard to get us this house, there's no way I'm letting him destroy it."

"At the cost of your life?" Shouto raised his voice. He looked up to meet my eyes, his own orbs tinged with desperation. "It's not worth it, your life is more important than anything."

"But if we let this chance go now, you may never actually be free." I retorted, uncrossing my legs and standing up.

"What do you mean?" He asked me, following my movements.

"Think about it. You managed to run away from him yesterday, that's definitely a step towards your freedom. But it's only a step, you're still in his custody and as long as you become an adult there's no way for you to have freedom." I continued, heading towards my closet. "So, we stick it to the man." I finished, pulling out a dress shirt before tossing it back in.

He cocked his head to the side, lips still pulled into a frown as hesitance reflected in his eyes. "Ochako…"

"Shouto." I said firmly, spinning around and grabbing his shoulders. He blinked in surprise at the sudden contact, and raised his head to look at me in the eyes.

"Do you trust me?" I asked him, completely serious.

He pursed his lips.

"Do you trust me?" I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows.

He bit his lip further, but eventually let a sigh spill from his lips as he closed his eyes. "…You know I do."

I let go of him, a satisfied smile pulling up the corners of my mouth. "Alright. I have a plan to propose. You in?"

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and nodded. "Alright. I'm in."

"Then let's get to it!" I pumped my fist in the air. "'Operation: Stick it to the Endeavor' commence!"

 **XXX**

Fuyuka was surprised when she was told she received a phone call from an unknown number. She thanked the nurse that told her that information, and went to the first floor to call the number she received.

She was even more surprised when a voice she was not expecting was heard through the receiver.

" _Fuyuka! Long time no hear!"_

"Ochako?" Fuyuka nearly dropped the phone in her hands in shock. "What's wrong?"

" _Hey, mom…"_

"Shouto…?!" Fuyuka's eyebrows almost shot into her hairline. "Why…?"

" _Sorry for not telling you, but the friend I mentioned in the letter is actually…"_

" _The awesome me!"_

A small laugh escaped her mouth. She listed a hand to cover her soft giggles. She was right; her Shouto was friends with Ochako. Her smile widened as her eyes twinkled softly. They made a good pair, she mused, hearing their interaction through across the line.

" _Anyway! We wanted to ask you a favor…"_

"If I can be of assistance, I'd be willing to help." She chuckled, her tone taking on a motherly voice.

Hearing what happened to them after Ochako's discharge; Fuyuka almost had flashbacks to her time with the awful man. Her hand twitched to her shoulder, where she could still feel the burn and was horrified when she imagined the same thing happening to the sweet girl who befriended her.

"Ochako…I'm so-"

" _It's not your fault, Fuyuka. None of this is. It's his entire fault, and that's why we need your help. Can you give us a small assist?"_

Fuyuka hesitated, her fingers fiddling with the telephone cord. "…What you're planning to do is very dangerous. The first action I would suggest is running away, not standing up to him… It never ends well…"

" _But we can't keep running away forever mom… I, I want to live with you in peace. I don't want to be trapped by him anymore. After all of this is over, we can live somewhere else. We can be free."_

"Shouto…" Her voice was gentle, but laced with a heartbreaking sadness all the same. "…I would love to if I could. But it's not that simple, that man is as cunning as he is heartless. You know that he would never allow us to go separate ways completely."

" _Fuyuka, please. Maybe this won't be a complete win, but we have to try. I'm willing to take the risk if it means that Shouto would be guaranteed at least more freedom compared to now. He's not even allowed out of the house, and Endeavor is trying to turn him into his own killing machine."_

Fuyuka let out a deep sigh. There was a reason why Shouto was forbidden from leaving the manor, a reason that not only had to do with Endeavor, but herself as well. However, this was a secret that she promised never to tell him, a secret that she would never tell anyone outside of her biological family.

Keeping him inside was for his own good, but what good was it if the inside was more poisonous than the outside?

Maybe it was time for change. Maybe everything was destined to change the moment Shouto met Ochako.

Ochako was strong. She was brave and headstrong, she would surely do everything she could to keep Shouto safe from _them_ if she ever found out, and Fuyuka was afraid it might be her downfall.

Not doing anything would definitely result in them being separated, and Fuyuka couldn't bear it if her beloved son was torn apart.

She took in a deep breath, and bit her lip, her resolve decided. "Alright. I'll help you."

 **XXX**

"Excuse me madam, is this the Todoroki household I have received an invitation to?"

The elderly lady in front of me blinked owlishly as I stroked my fake beard. Shouto was pulling off a completely serious face next to me, dressed in a sharp tuxedo with a red necktie and sunglasses over his heterochromia eyes.

I adjusted my pink necktie. "Madam, is there a problem?"

"Ah…Are you…Shouto…?" The elderly woman asked in confusion and hesitance as her eyes wavered to the young boy next to me.

"Negative." He replied in a stiff voice and I almost burst out in laughter there and then. "Who I am is not important."

"What is, is that we have received an invitation by the owner of this house, and we wish to see him." I pulled out the slightly crumpled envelope and presented it to the lady. She took it with shaking hands and confirmed the writing on the front that spelled, 'From Endeavor'.

"Ah…I see…" She returned it to me, her eyes still wandering between the two of us. "I shall inform him. Please, come in…" She moved aside and gestured to the entrance.

I nodded and took off my shoes, aligning them neatly as I entered Shouto's house for the first time. Shouto followed suit, and together, we were guided to a small tatami room not too far from the entrance, and she left us to call Endeavor as we both sat in the formal Japanese way.

"Ochako…Are you sure this is okay…?" He asked me with doubt in his voice. I cleared my throat.

"To be absolutely honest, I have no idea my dear frozen marshmallow." I confessed, fidgeting my legs uncomfortably. "Damn it, I hate doing the seiza. I suck at it and my feet get numb too fast."

"You get used to it."

"Easy for you to say, you've been raised in a house with Japanese customs." I grumbled. "And you never told me you were shitty rich, I had no idea your house was this big! And it's unexpectedly near from mine!"

"How do you think I get to your place in a few minutes? Anyway, it doesn't really matter, your house may be smaller but I like it there better." He countered.

"Of course you do, what are you talking about? The Uraraka household may be poor, but we are a hell lot more homey than anywhere else on earth." I huffed.

Let's see what happened after that small phone call with Fuyuka. We discussed about my plan, and Fuyuka, after much conflict, agreed to help us. All we requested were two tuxedos and one red and one pink necktie, and if possible, black gloves. Oh yeah, and sunglasses and a fake beard to match my brown hair that barely touched my shoulders.

Why?

Well, if you were to intrude on enemy quarters, you must look sharp as the devil, no? Hence, I requested that we had clothes that made us look like assassins, or spies. I didn't have any clothes that formal in my wardrobe, especially one that would fit Shouto who was taller and more muscular than me.

Seriously though, I didn't know I looked so good in a beard. Shouto looked awesome with sunglasses, but he tried to and almost managed to tear off my fake facial hair. Hell no, I'm sticking to this thing unless Endeavor decided to burn it off or something.

The strange thing was that the people who delivered the clothes to us looked similar to Fuyuka. Two people, a man and a woman dressed in casual clothes appeared at my doorstep, carrying a bag. They both smiled at us in comfort, and I could see a silver of resemblance to the woman in the hospital. They had facial features that looked like Fuyuka, and they both had white hair. It wasn't just me, Shouto rubbed his eyes to confirm that the woman wasn't actually his mother, and they disappeared as soon as we both blinked.

Strange. Very, very strange. Meeting those two brought up another thought in my head concerning Shouto's family, but I pushed that thought away. Right now, only Endeavor was important, and nothing else.

"Ochako." Shouto suddenly said, his posture straightening and his voice turning cold. "He's here."

I squared my shoulders as soon as the door slammed open. Endeavor, in all of his flamey, fiery glory was standing there, in his hero costume as I expected. The fire that almost engulfed his entire face was more energetic than I remembered, it seemed to be bursting and moving about, as if it was alive.

"Shouto. What are you wearing?" He asked in a deep and booming voice. So, the first thing he would consider was our appearance, so step one was clear.

"This is normal for me." Shouto replied; his voice ice cold and if the sunglasses weren't covering his eyes right now, I could tell that he would be glaring. I cleared my throat, directing both of their attention to me.

"Hello, Hero Endeavor, it is a pleasure to meet you." I tried to mimic a British accent. "Please, have a seat." I gestured to the space across from the both of us.

He raised a fiery eyebrow. "And who are you to assume that I would sit, and not incinerate you on the spot for meddling with my son?"

Shouto growled, but I continued on, unfazed. "Very well. Then I shall stand." I stood up and stretched out a hand towards the 'hero'.

"Uraraka. Uraraka Ochako. The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe." I introduced myself. I gestured to the boy who was still sitting in the formal Japanese way. "And this is my best friend, Todoroki Shouto. Now, Hero Endeavor, I have a few questions for you, and I would be very glad if you answered them. Please do not worry, it would not take much of your time, and if you ever run out of patience, you can cook me in oil or whatsoever as you please." My eyes glinted, and an unnoticeable smirk almost took over my face.

He studied me in silence. I didn't lose my composure as I felt his eyes raking all over me, but I prayed that he would heed to my calls in desperation. If he decided to burn me right here, right now, there was nothing I could do to stop Shouto from lashing out.

Calm down, Ochako. Heel.

…Wait, I'm not a dog, what the hell.

For whatever reason, Endeavor nodded and crossed his arms. I retracted mine and breathed inwardly, relieved as humanly possible. But then I remembered that this was Endeavor, and I raised my guard again. He could be faking for all I know. I gestured to Shouto to stand with my head, and he followed, his posture rigid and guarded.

"Now, question number one, why do you think Shouto should be confined to this manor?"

"He is my son. I have full custody of him, and he is to become the number one hero in my steed."

That wasn't an answer you bastard. I held my tongue.

"Question number two, why are you so bent on being number one?"

"Only the weak would settle for number two. The strongest is always number one."

As expected. Now… I ripped the beard off my face, trying my best not to wince. I stuffed it in my pocket, and Shouto took off his sunglasses, his eyes showing no emotion even though his fists were trembling.

"Final question," I dropped my voice, my emotionless façade melting away to reveal my narrowed eyes and deep frown. "Why do you think that my 'meddling' would hinder Shouto's growth?"

His eyes narrowed. I continued, dropping the accent and not caring about his reaction. "To be honest, your methods of training my best friend are cruel, and really bothersome. Beating him up every day to the point of trauma is not a very efficient way. Do you know why Shouto hasn't broken down in hysterics like his mother? Do you know why Shouto is still sane and strong-willed, why he doesn't cry in front of anyone in this place?" I scoffed.

"I bet you don't. You don't care about his feelings when psychological problems are usually the reason of human growth. Do you honestly think he would care about what you want him to be? Do you truly, and honestly think that he would blindly follow you after this, 'rebelling phase' of his?"

I slung an arm around Shouto, who was frozen as stiff as a board, but relaxed as soon as he felt my touch. "He is here and strong because of his mother, and because of his best friend who is always by his side." I gripped his shoulder in comfort, and he shakily exhaled, his hand coming up to grip my hand in response.

A grin far too prideful formed on my face. "And even if you drop me to the deepest ends of hell, nothing can tear us apart."

I tapped his shoulder and whispered in a voice only Shouto could hear.

" _Now."_

Ice spiked out of the ground and froze the surroundings as flames burst out from Endeavor, accompanied with a roar full of rage. I rolled to the side as the hellfire blasted between Shouto and me, Shouto dodging to the other side while the fire almost brushed my side.

The heat was blazing, I hissed in pain even if the embers didn't actually touch me. If it weren't for Shouto freezing the entire room and lowering the temperature, I would have felt burnt. My clothes were a little singed, but I was safe. I glanced to the front to see if Shouto's ice attack had hit Endeavor, but the adult had dodged it as well.

I cursed and tried to gain some distance between us, but the hero had appeared in front of me in a flash. Before I could even blink, his hand reached out and grabbed my neck, cutting off my oxygen.

I coughed and wheezed as he slowly brought me up into the air. Shouto spotted us, and his eyes widened as a furious growl was released from his mouth.

"OCHAKO!"

"DO NOT MOVE, OR I WILL BREAK THIS GIRL'S NECK IN HALF!" Endeavor roared, his blue eyes glinting furiously in his flames. "Little girl, you speak too arrogantly, and you are too stupid to have provoked me. You should have run away when the letter arrived at your house, and listen to my demands. Instead, you come all the way here to negotiate, poorly, and you have failed. You are not worthy of being near Shouto, things like you are the reason why Shouto is being tainted."

Shit, this was bad. My vision was clouding, and I felt sick. My hands wouldn't move; I couldn't muster the energy to touch him and use my quirk. The villain I faced back in town was nowhere near Endeavor's power. I couldn't do anything against him.

This is a hero's strength, huh?

Shit, shit, shit. I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Tears welled up in my eyes as my mouth flapped open and close, a futile attempt to try and take in as much oxygen as possible.

Shouto, my eyes dimmed as my gaze averted to the boy that was across from us. My vision was blurry and I couldn't see well, but I tried my best to give him a smile.

Hell was I going to die without a smile. I may not have the Will of D, but I was going to fucking pretend I had it anyway. I wasn't going to part ways with him with anything but a smile, and that was something I decided a long time ago.

 _Shouto, I'm sorry. I don't know if I was much of a help after all, haha._

 **XXX**

Shouto felt the world stop.

No, this couldn't be happening. Why was Ochako smiling at him like that? Why wasn't she resisting? Why wasn't she mouthing off at Endeavor? Why was she just hanging there?

In that moment, Shouto felt his surroundings turn into white. He couldn't think straight, he couldn't see anything but Ochako hanging by her neck. The girl who was always by his side, the girl who tried many times to pull him out of hell. The girl who was his first and only best friend, his most precious person.

He had to do something. He had to move.

He let out a ferocious roar and blasted his father with fire, but every shot was directed away. He made ice erupt from his feet towards him, but a single blast of molten heat melted it all away. Endeavor did all of this without batting an eyelash, and his grip on Ochako was not loosening.

He couldn't do it. He was too weak. He didn't have the power to get Ochako back.

What could he do? What could he do?

He opened his mouth.

"SHE'S THE REASON WHY I DECIDED TO USE MY FLAMES!" Shouto shouted, desperation coating his words heavily. "SHE'S THE REASON WHY I COULD FACE MYSELF, SHE'S THE REASON WHY I DECIDED TO FIGHT FOR MYSELF!" He could feel tears spilling from his face, and his voice cracking, but he couldn't stop now. He couldn't lose her, he needed her.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU SAY, I WON'T REBEL AGAINST YOU ANYMORE, SO PLEASE, LET HER GO! DON'T HURT HER!" He yelled in desperation and anguish, both of his powers going out of control, ice bursting from every direction as his flames erupted and exploded.

He broke down sobbing, his knees touching the charred floor as his head pushed against it. "Please… Please… She's too important for me to lose…"

 _Shouto._

He raised his head, his face all scrunched up and wet with tears, when he saw her arms twitching. He hiccupped, and her eyes opened slightly. There wasn't any light reflected in them, but he swore that he could still see her smiling.

 _Shouto, don't lose. Don't give up. Don't break down._

He sucked in a deep breath. He clenched his fists tightly, and he pushed himself up with shaky legs, stumbling.

"Shouto," Endeavor started. He bit his lips hard enough to draw blood, and tried to block out whatever he said.

"You're just being ridiculous. This girl had too much influence on you, she's better off dead. You can live without a measly thing like her. What is important is that you follow my rules, and my orders. I'll get rid of her so that you would not think of rebelling against me ever again."

Shouto closed his eyes.

 _No, you're wrong. You're wrong._

 _I'm sick of being fed lies. I'm sick of being someone's machine. I'm sick of listening to you._

 _I'm Shouto. I'm my own person. I'm the son of Fuyuka, I'm the best friend of Uraraka Ochako._

 _I'm not your son. Not anymore._

He felt his left side grow hotter. His blue eye burned. The entire left part of his body felt like it was on fire, but it didn't feel like his fire. This fire was harsher and stronger, and more merciless. Not warm and inviting. He took in a deep breath, and clenched his fist. The feeling in his stomach grew hotter and tighter, and he felt a huge warmth engulfing him. He let out another breath, feeling smoke come out of his nose and mouth.

Breathe. When you're using fire, you need to breathe. Feel the fire in you, feel the burn that dominated your body and soul.

Do not be afraid of change. Change will make you stronger.

He raised his left arm, and this time, dark blue flames; blue flames with black tipping the edges flickered to life harshly on his skin.

"Shitty Endeavor." He breathed, black smoke leaving his mouth. He directed his arm at the taller man, and forced out his next words.

"Let her go."

Endeavor's grip slackened, and Ochako fell to the ground. She landed on the tatami with a thump, and Shouto moved forward. Before the taller man could even blink, the girl at his feet was gone and in the arms of his son, who was standing at a distance from him.

Shouto set Ochako down gently, careful that her body didn't touch the flames on his left side. He put his right hand over her neck, and confirmed her pulse. It was weak and fragile, but she was alive. She wasn't dead.

He breathed a sigh of relief, before his eyes hardened and he turned back to face Endeavor.

"Shouto…Your fire." Endeavor looked astonished, impressed even.

Shouto looked at his arm. The warm fire that used to be his was gone, replaced by a blue fire that seemed to sear his entire being. It was extremely hot, hotter than his orange, and he could feel the fire burning his skin. He hissed in pain, and coated his arm in ice immediately, using his right arm. The chill of the ice stopped his arm from burning, but the ice was melting rapidly.

He tore his gaze away from his arm to see Endeavor grin, a grin that sent chills up Shouto's spine.

"Excellent! Shouto, your fire is far more superior to mine now! I can feel the heat of those flames even at this distance, and they are much hotter than any fire I have ever encountered! Shouto, come to me. I will teach you how to wield your fire, I will teach you to burn your enemies to the ground without hurting yourself, I can-"

"Shut up." Shouto growled out, a low voice unfitting of his age. "I am not your son. This fire, whatever it is, I'm going to learn to control it myself. I'm not going to listen to you anymore." He inhaled and raised his palm, facing the hero.

"From this day onwards, I am no longer the son of Todoroki Enji."

Shouto remembered the conversation he had with his mother on the phone. He remembered her kind voice, her warm hugs, and her gentle smiles. He exhaled this time, his eyes focused and his palm heating up.

"I am Hibiki Shouto, the son of Hibiki Fuyuka."

The devil's fire erupted from his palm, and seared everything in front of him.

 **XXX**

I woke up with a bleary mind, and I found myself staring at a wooden ceiling.

Where was I? I tried to let out a groan, but my throat was sore and it hurt like shit. I tried to push myself into a sitting position, and after much trial, managed to succeed.

I looked around as my vision slowly cleared. I was lying on a futon in a Japanese style room. I felt the ground, and confirmed that it was tatami. I wore a plain white shirt and black shorts, and the clothes I received from Fuyuka were folded neatly beside the futon. Everything was quiet and peaceful, and I almost felt my eyelids closing again.

Until the memory of what I had been doing hit me, and I woke up, my mind completely clear.

Shouto. Endeavor. What the hell happened? Why was I here, where was Shouto?!

Panic taking hold of me, I scrambled to my legs and headed towards the shoji doors, pulling them open forcefully. I opened my mouth to shout even if my throat bled, and my voice died in my throat.

Because in front of me stood the very boy I was searching for, with huge blinking eyes and a bucket of water in his hands. He was no longer wearing the suit, trading the formal look for a casual one with a red shirt and white shorts.

"…Shouto." I croaked out. "…Ey."

He threw everything he had onto the ground, water spilling all over the wooden floor and some seeping into the tatami, and threw his arms around me. I stumbled at the sudden contact and fell back onto the futon, my butt making contact with the pillow.

…Okay, what in Davey Jones locker is going on here?

"Ochako." His voice cracked and his arms tightened around me. "You're alive."

Hell yeah I am, I wanted to retort, my arms going up to hug the trembling boy back. A strangle from Endeavor can't take this bad girl down. Who do you think I am, some kind of advanced wimp?

"No, you're the most fantastically awesome girl in the universe." He retorted, and I blinked. Huh, he can read minds now.

"No, I can't. Stop trying to brush things off lightly, you almost died."

Fine, fine. I pursed my lips and tightened my arms around him. You win this round, my dear bestie.

I buried my face into his shoulder, and he did the same to me. We just sat there, arms around each other as we both silently cried, various emotions, mostly relief and fear mixing together. To be honest, I had thought that I was going to die. The run in with that villain was a close call, but with Endeavor choking me I had thought I was gone for good. Why do you think I smiled?

I was so glad Shouto was safe. I was so glad I was alive, and we were both okay. Albeit, a little burnt up, but okay nonetheless. We were living, and that was the only thing that mattered.

…That reminded me, said Endeavor was nowhere to be seen. How long had I been out?

"Shouto." An amused voice cut between our silent crying. "I brought drinks."

Shouto let go of me slowly, and I did the same. We both turned our heads up to meet the gentle eyes of a young girl, probably around thirteen, who seemed similar to Shouto. It hit me that this was probably Fuyumi, Shouto's sister. Like she said, in her hands was a tray with two cups and a bottle of water.

"Thanks, sis." He replied, standing up and taking the tray from Fuyumi. He averted his eyes to the wet floor and carelessly thrown away bucket. "Sorry about that." She smiled.

"No problem, little bro." She ruffled his hair gently and kneeled down, sitting in the seiza position next to me. "Hello, my name is Fuyumi. I'm Shouto's sister. It's nice to meet you."

I held up a hand as Shouto passed me a cup of fresh water. I drank it slowly, careful not to take big gulps as to damage my sore throat. After drinking an entire cup, I cleared my throat softly, confirming that my voice was back, although pretty raspy. I held out my hand this time in the form of a handshake, a cheeky smile forming on my lips.

"Uraraka Ochako." I whispered in a soft tone. "The most fantastically awesome girl in the universe."

Fuyumi laughed and shook my hand. "It's an honor to meet you, lady Ochako." I grinned in response.

Shouto passed me another cup, and I gratefully drowned it down my pipe. "Ochako, I bet you're wondering what happened to our father, right?" Fuyumi asked me and I nodded, making sure every last drop of water was gone from the cup before passing it back to Shouto.

"He got burned, and had to go to the hospital." Shouto's words didn't register first. A moment passed, and I whipped my head around to face Shouto, my mouth gaping open.

He silently closed my mouth with his hand. "It's a long story."

Fuyumi chuckled at our interaction, and stood up. "Well, I'll be in the room next to yours. If you ever need me, feel free to call." She waved and exited, leaving the shoji doors open and picking up the bucket Shouto had dropped.

"Come on," Shouto stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me up. "Let's talk in the garden. I feel better there." He ushered me out of the room, and I got a good look at Shouto's house for the first time.

Right outside of the room was a huge Japanese garden. The white rocks covering the ground were beautiful, as were the bonsai trees that were planted around. They were a calming shade of green that swayed with the breeze, and I could faintly hear the sounds of birds chirping. There was a small pool of water surrounded with slightly bigger rocks, and the shishi-odoshi clunked as the running water pushed down the bamboo to hit the rock, the sound echoing throughout the garden.

No wonder Shouto wanted to bring me here. He was right, it did feel relaxing.

He led me down into the garden, and hopped onto a big rock that had many others of its kind surrounding the small lake with the shishi-odoshi. I followed him, pushing myself up and plopping myself down on a rock next to him.

"So, what happened after I fainted?" I questioned him, swinging my legs as my voice gradually went back to normal, though it was still faint and raspy.

"…Do you remember what happened to my flames?" He hesitantly asked me, and I shook my head. I had no memory after Endeavor grabbed my throat and I smiled at Shouto. He took a deep breath and faced me seriously.

"Okay… Don't freak out." He froze his left arm with his right, and I cocked my head to the side. Why did he-

His left arm burst into flames. Not just your average, run-of-the-mill orange flames, no, it was nothing like that.

Blue flames. Blue flames with black tipping the edges of the ember flickered to life.

I recoiled from shock and the sudden blast of heat, nearly falling into the lake in the process. "Holy-"

Shouto deactivated his quirk, the flames fading as he reached out to grab my shirt, stopping me from falling and possibly from me catching a cold. I gripped onto his arm as he pulled me back, and I steadied myself on the rock again, panting in shock.

I shook my head and poked his left arm. The ice he had coated it with was completely melted, it had melted the instant Shouto activated those flames. "What the hell…?"

"I… I don't really know what it is either." He confessed, rubbing his arm self-consciously. "After you fainted, I tried everything I could against Endeavor, but nothing worked. I…I guess I was so desperate, I don't really remember what happened, and before I realized it, my flames changed."

This was strange. All too strange. What was going on? Canon Shouto never had any flames like this; he didn't even have the power to change his flames into blue ones yet. Okay, this wasn't canon, so maybe blue flames were acceptable, but the black at the edges?

My eyes widened as I remembered a certain character, a certain villain who was hinted to have a flames tinted with black.

Dabi.

God, this was too strange. Could Dabi's quirk have something to do with Shouto? Did Dabi hold answers? Did Dabi have some kind of connection to Shouto?

My poor head was very confused.

"Alright, okay, I got it." I rubbed my temples. "Maybe you got an upgrade or something."

"I don't know if this is an upgrade, or something more." Shouto clenched and unclenched his fist. "My right side is working fine, that means I still technically have 'Half-Cold Half-Hot'. Only my fire changed, it's stronger and hotter compared to before. I can't control it properly, and if I activate it I get burned." He lifted his sleeves to reveal his shoulder that was covered in bandages.

"That's why you froze your arm?"

"To keep my entire arm from getting burned to a crisp." He nodded. "It melts really quickly though, so I don't think it's much of a help in a drawn out fight."

"Can't you use your orange flames?" I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I tried, but the instant I activate my quirk, I feel like I have no control over it, and it becomes blue." He confessed, his eyes narrowing. "No matter how much I concentrated, I couldn't change my fire back."

This time, I rubbed my chin in thought. "So to sum it up, it's stronger than orange, but you have zero control over it and you can't change it back."

He nodded. "I blasted Endeavor with this fire, and he got burned. I didn't think it was possible for him to get burned…"

"…Alright, you badass motherfucker, let's think this through. You got a new version of your fire, you have absolutely no control over it, and Endeavor's in the hospital." I paused.

I stood up abruptly. "Let's shindig, hot men."

He pulled me back down.

This was the true turning point in both of our lives. I had no idea that in the future, Shouto was going to get caught up in something far larger than I thought, and I had no idea that at that time, I might not even be by his side to go through it with him.

But that's a story for the future.

Right now, if I can see the smiling face of my best friend, it didn't matter what hell I had to go through.

* * *

 **A freakishly long chapter. Eighteen pages, yeah!**

 **Shouto unlocks a new power. Or, more like discovered that he can control blue fire, albeit, a little unique type of fire. Endeavor gets BURNED (In more ways than one), Ochako's happy, and Shouto is doing all he can to stop her from throwing a lemon pie at his face in celebration of getting rid of a pest.**

 **And they're still eight year olds for god's sake. Geez, these kids have it rough.**

 **Fun fact, I decided on Fuyuka's last name 'Hibiki', because it means 'echo'. 'Todoroki' means 'roar', and I wanted to show some similarity and difference between the two families, so I picked the 'sound' motif. 'Hibiki' is a lot quieter than 'Todoroki', I think it fits with the contrast between Fuyuka and Enji.**

 **Special thanks to SaltyCandy, NeoNazo356 for reviewing every chapter! I also thank the reviewers who leave me reviews no matter the amount, and all my followers and fellow readers! I love to re read your reviews; they give me inspiration and a drive to continue writing.**

 **Of course, the Todoroki family drama still continues, it just won't be as main focus next time.**

 **Next one, let's get moving, Shimura Tenko! For those expecting a certain main character, I beg you wait a little more. They will meet somewhere a little farther along the line.**

 **See you next time, my lovely readers~**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	8. Chapter 7: Seven butting ins

**-"Being a hero is all about putting your nose in someone else's business."- All Might, Yagi Toshinori.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the beautifully wonderful work that is BHA (MHA).**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 7: Seven butting ins**

A white haired woman took a deep breath, her hands gripping the blanket draped around her shoulders. She hesitantly lifted her head to stare at the nameplate that spelled 'Todoroki'. When she heard the news of his arrival to the hospital, she was shocked beyond belief. She didn't expect for Enji, out of all people, to be _burned_ by _fire_.

He, who was always striding with fire dancing along his body, was hurt by his own element. It was lie to say that she wasn't the slightest bit happy about that fact. He was the one who hurt them after all; he was the one who burnt her so badly that it took her more than two years to recover. He was the one who made her son bleed and cry, he was the one who made him scared of his own fire to the point of refusing to use it.

She could still remember his trembling hands as he gripped her shirt, tears spilling down his face as he cried, weeping that he didn't want to have a quirk like his father, that he was terrified of the flames that burned the both of them.

Her fists tightened as she bit her lip in silent anger.

If anything, Enji deserved to be burnt by fire. Fried even. How ironic would that be?

When she got the phone call from Shouto about what he did, she felt a surge of pride and worry bloom in her chest. She was so proud of him for unlocking a new part of his self, that he no longer feared his fire and instead was willing to learn how to control it. On the other hand, she was worried that the power may be too much for him, and he would be the one getting hurt instead. Blue flames with unusual black tips weren't exactly normal fire, and listening to his explanations, the fire could be more dangerous than anyone could possibly imagine.

That meant that Enji would try to take advantage of his powers again, and Shouto would suffer no matter how much he tried to run. Even if he had Ochako, Fuyuka knew that two little kids couldn't stand a chance if Enji decided to get serious. Ochako's family would be in danger, financially and practically, and her kind son would do anything to protect the family he had bonded with, even if it meant becoming Enji's robot.

So it was her turn now. She had to protect her son.

She raised her fist and knocked on the door. She waited anxiously, her head thudding as her blood rushed in her ears.

"… _Who is there?"_

She sucked in a shaky breathe, and exhaled. "Fuyuka. I'm coming in."

She straightened her shoulders and back, and put on her game face. Her quivering lips stopped trembling, forming a thin straight line as her eyes blanked, giving her an emotionless look. Just as she had done so many times in her life, if she could kill a man without blinking, she could muster enough courage to face Enji without shaking like a leaf.

She slid open the door to find Enji lying down on the bed, his upper body propped up slightly. There were bandages wrapped around his torso and arms, and his narrowed eye look was the same as ever.

"Fuyuka. What do you want?"

She almost lost her composure when she heard his voice. She could still remember the many times he had yelled at her, insulted her, and burned her. But she couldn't fall apart now, she had to tell him what she had been yearning to tell for so many years.

"…I'll get straight to the point. Don't touch my son, Enji."

"Your son?" Enji scoffed, his fiery beard flaming up for a second. "He was never your son. He's my son, my successor, my ticket to surpassing All Might."

"He's just as much human as I am, and he's nothing like you." Fuyuka surpassed the urge to grit her teeth furiously. "He's nothing like a cold-hearted bastard like you are."

"Is that it? Is that what you came to tell me?" Enji growled, his teeth bared in a scowl. "Get lost, Fuyuka. Your opinion does not hold any power over me. If you further prove to be a nuisance to Shouto and me, I will have you eliminated."

Fuyuka stalked over to him and slammed her hands on the table next to his bed, making a loud clattering noise. Frost was forming on the tips her fingers, the cold seeping into the plastic furniture. She narrowed her eyes in return, her mouth melting into a scowl that could rival a shark.

"Enji. I warn you, do not touch him anymore."

Enji grabbed her chin and pulled it forcefully towards his face, his flames on his face flickering and scraping her cheek as his blue eyes bore into her black ones.

"What can a measly woman like you do?" He hissed, his palm heating up, ready to burn her face off.

She grabbed his hand forcefully, and whispered in a soft, cold voice.

"This."

The temperature dropped suddenly. Ice exploded all over his arm, the frozen water spreading all across his body like a wave. The frost that she released from her feet expanded until the entire room was covered in it, icicles hanging from the ceiling as her breath turned white. Enji tried to activate his flames, but he couldn't summon a strong enough flame to melt all of the ice. The best he could muster was a flame that burned weakly in his hands. Fuyuka's ice was deathly cold, close to absolute zero, that they were only alive because Enji had his quirk, and Fuyuka being almost immune to the cold.

Fuyuka exhaled, her frosty breathe fanning over Enji's face. "Enji. Perhaps you've forgotten who I am after all these years. Remember who you decided to take in as your wife, why you wanted my family's power in the first place. I am no weakling, no matter how much I suffered at your hands. The only reason why I never rebelled against you was to keep Shouto safe, if I had brought him back with me to my family, he would've been killed. Despite how much I despise you, Shouto needed to grow up without my life dragging his down. I had thought that even though his life wouldn't be normal with you as a father, it would be better than getting him caught up in my problems. Till this day, I do not know if I made the right decision or not, but the situation is different. Shouto has Ochako now, and has the power to hurt you unlike his past self. He is finally walking his path now, and I must stop you from letting you have your way. "

She turned on her heels, making her way towards the door. Sliding it open, she spared a look behind her, looking at the shivering man who glared at her. She closed her eyes and formed a small smile.

"Todoroki Enji. If you ever get in my son's way, Iwill not hesitate to kill you."

Her smile widened, and she slid the door close.

As she moved her trembling feet to her room, she reminded herself to call her mother, and tell her that she was coming home.

 **XXX**

* * *

I saw a certain familiar and not so familiar view in front of me.

A long, long dirt road leading to somewhere I don't know. Trees painted with red and yellow swaying in the breeze. A cloudy gray sky. Soft chattering of someone that I didn't know of was heard across the unpopulated land.

Familiar, yet so different. This time, the temperature seemed to be lower than before, and I could feel goose bumps form on my skin. I rubbed my arms in an attempt to keep myself warm as I looked around. The chatters were so soft and quiet that it didn't really disturb me, although it probably should have. There was nothing too out of the ordinary, so I started walking.

This was my…fourth time? It had been a while since I had dreams of Midoriya. The last time was when I was still in the hospital, and my shoulder still unhealed. I braced myself for the light that would come, and soon enough, a bright flash appeared out of nowhere.

I gently opened my eyes. I saw a dark room; the only light being emitted was from a small computer. A revolving chair was in front of me, facing the source of the light. It was quiet, and it might have been my imagination, but it was a depressing silence. The only sounds that were heard were explosions and a familiar voice.

" _Hahaha! Do not worry, because I am here!"_

I recognized this scene.

The door to the room creaked open, and a slim woman, Midoriya Inko poked her head hesitantly into the room. She called out for her son, "Izuku?"

The chair didn't budge.

Inko approached the chair cautiously, walking through and turning my body into mist before reversing back to its ghastly appearance. I walked away from the two of them, keeping a respectful distance as my eyes never left the chair.

"Izuku?" Inko placed her hand on the black material and turned the chair around, revealing a small Midoriya with bangs covering his eyes, the All Might figure in his hand loosely grasped. He wasn't shaking, nor did I hear any sobs coming from the little boy. He wasn't crying.

Inko placed a hand under her son's chin and gently pushed it up; parting his bangs with her other hand.

I felt as if a hundred bricks had dropped on me.

His eyes. His _eyes._ They weren't filled with tears, or wide with desperation or grief.

They were just blank. Empty. Lifeless.

"Mom…?" Midoriya whispered slightly, his blank eyes focusing on her. A small smile tugged at his lips, but it wasn't one of happiness, it was filled with self-hatred and bitterness. I didn't know a small kid; much less Izuku could make that kind of expression. One filled with utter despair and emptiness.

"Haha…Kacchan was right after all." His voice ghosted over me. "I really am worthless, huh?"

Inko burst into tears and grabbed onto Izuku , whispering and mumbling under her breath that "No, you're not." "He's wrong." "You're a wonderful boy.'. Whispers of comfort. She kept pleading with all of her might, hugging the small boy as if her life depended on it.

Izuku remained motionless, his eyes seeming deader by the moment.

A voice flooded into my head.

 _If I'm not worthless, where's my quirk?_

 _Why can't I do anything right. Why am I making mom cry. Why am I so useless? Why do I exist?_

 _Why…Why does Kacchan have a quirk, and I don't?_

The scene in front of my faded into mist. It was as if something had blown it away like a page of a storybook, and another scene reformed in front of me, like I was going through Midoriya's memories.

"Deku! You worthless nerd! Can't you do anything right?!"

It was raining. The cold rain pelted down onto the ground, and thunder boomed in the distance. Lightning flashed across the sky as the wind howled. Everything was so chaotic, but nothing touched me. I was still dry, and the rain just slipped through my body. Interestingly, my body didn't turn into mist like when people came into contact with me.

In front of me was a river, and in front of the river, were two boys.

Katsuki was shouting at little Izuku as he cowered on the ground. Both boys were drenched, their clothes hanging off of them like a second skin. Mud caked their bodies, smudging their limbs and face. Leaves and such were stuck to them as well, as if they had went swimming in a swamp. Katsuki looked livid, teeth gritted and eyes glaring at Izuku as the little boy whimpered.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-"

"What the hell does that mean?! You're the reason why we got into this mess in the first place!"

"I-I was just trying to h-help-"

"You're a worthless piece of shit, Deku! Don't even think of trying to help me! I could've gotten out of that damn river myself!"

"You-you fell, and I thought, I thought-"

"Then this freak storm appeared out of nowhere and we got swept away by the damn current! And now, we're stranded in the middle of nowhere! If you had just left me alone, I would've gotten out just fine! You're always messing things up, why can't you do anything right?!" Katsuki yelled at Izuku, fists tightened and voice straining with anger.

Izuku didn't say anything back. He just covered himself with his arms, shivering in the cold.

A voice flowed into my head once again.

 _He's right… He's always right. He's Kacchan after all, he's always better than me… Why did I think of saving him? Why did I do something so unnecessary? Why am I always the one causing trouble?_

… _Why is it always me that's so unlucky?_

… _This is why…I can't become a hero… Because a hero would never cause problems for others… Right?_

 _Be like All Might? Who am I kidding?_

 _I can never be a hero._

* * *

I jolted awake, the covers flying off of me as I panted harshly.

…What happened?

I touched my face. I could feel tears pouring out of my eyes, and I couldn't stop it. I rubbed furiously at my eyes, but nothing was working. It was as if someone had pressed a 'cry automatically' button in my brain.

Why was I crying? What was going on?

This wasn't the first time that this happened. This happened once in the hospital too, I remembered vacantly. I jolted awake as if someone had poured ice cold water onto me, only to find out that I was producing salt water from my eyeballs.

I gripped my head in confusion. Did I dream of something? Did a dream make me cry? Seriously? Did I cry because of a god damn dream? I rarely cried in my sleep, if I did, it would mean that I dreamt of a huge monster cucumber taking away the gigantic salmon I caught at the river.

Damn cucumbers. Always making a fool out of me.

…All this thinking made me exhausted.

I laid back down, closing my eyes and trying to go back to sleep, but no matter how much I tossed and turned, did pushups and bounced up and down to drain my energy, my conscious wouldn't fade away.

I decided to give up after two hours, and got out of bed.

I made my way down the staircase, touching and feeling the walls as I guided myself through the darkness. When I felt a switch, I flipped it to reveal that I was in the kitchen. Moving as quietly as I could since mother and father were probably asleep, I grabbed a glass and poured myself a cup of water. I walked to the living room and opened the curtains slightly, only forming a small gap between the two sheets.

I gazed up at the night sky. It was a pretty view, the small dots of stars decorating the empty black void. Looking up at the sky absentmindedly, my thoughts started to wander.

It had been almost two months since the incident with Endeavor. Shouto was trying his best to train his flames by himself, although he wasn't making much progress. Sadly, Fuyumi and his older brothers couldn't help him either, as they also had no idea what to do. A few days after the whole thing at the Todoroki manor, Shouto told me he received a phone call from Fuyuka. He said that she was getting discharged from the hospital, and was going back to her home, the Hibiki family mansion, which was located in who knows where. Fuyuka didn't tell him anything about it, apparently. She told him that she had to settle some business with her family and couldn't bring Shouto along, and that she wished for him to stay at the Todoroki manor with his siblings. I was worried that Endeavor might come back and cause more havoc, but Shouto informed me that he came home less than before, and never attempted to talk or even train him. We both found it weirdly odd, but decided not to dwell on it too much. Less Endeavor meant more happiness, which was definitely something we both needed.

Now that things have settled down and I had more time to think, there were a few moments when I was hit with a wave of unease.

I gulped down the water in my hand as my eyes traced the dark view above. For some reason, I felt like I was looking at the unknown, something that nobody knew of, an unstable and unforeseen future.

…The future is different from what I know now. I already knew that, but it wasn't like I didn't have any regrets. After all, I have no idea of what was going to happen next. Will I get into U.A? Will I meet Midoriya there? Will I be able to protect all of them?

What about Stain and the League of Villains? What about All for One?

What about Shimura Tenko?

What about All Might?

Will my choices make everyone suffer in the end? What I'm doing…Is it the right thing? I knew so much about this world, and yet I don't know anything at the same time. I loved all those characters I saw in those black and white pages, cried with them as I watched them move on the television screen… Now that they actually exist, they seem so much more fragile now…

Everything was so unclear, and I was hit with a rare feeling of anxiety once again. I knew I was supposed to be confident and sure of myself, like the person I've existed as for the past eight years, but on quiet nights like this, I couldn't help but waver. Was it really worth it? Was it worth wreaking the present just for the sake of an unknown future? A future where everyone _might_ be happy and safe?

I recalled Shouto's smiling face. I recalled his laughter, his unintended jokes, and his dense personality. I recalled the times where we laughed together, having a pillow fight in the daytime, drinking hot chocolate together…

Me getting angry as I swung the playground slide at his head and him running away with an ice cream bar in his mouth…

…Ah, good times…

I let out a small sigh, closing the curtains and putting the glass down.

…Maybe…It was worth it after all. If I could see more of his happy face, if I could see more of _them_ smiling and laughing together as if nothing mattered, if Izuku could stay with All Might forever…

Then maybe, just maybe, it was worth a shot. Maybe I'd get torn to pieces, ripped apart by the seams in the process, hell I could even die first without meeting anymore of them.

That didn't matter. I will protect them. I'm the only one that knew.

I have to.

My gaze averted to the phone that sat innocently beside the TV. I made my way to it, and sat in front of it, crossing my arms and legs firmly as I stared at the small white transceiver.

Now, it's your turn Shimura Tenko.

 **XXX**

I heaved a sigh, and straightened my back in front of the white door.

When I woke up this morning with my legs in horrible cramps and an aching head, I realized that I had dozed off at some point and was awoken to the sound of the phone ringing. Too much in pain to think straight, I grabbed the phone and blurted out the first thing I could think of. Which being,

"Heelllo, this is the Ochaocha ramen shop, how can I help you?"

I nearly shit my pants when I heard a deadpanned voice return. " _…Are you an idiot? Hurry up and come to my room. Don't make me wait."_

…Well, what a fine mannered little brat that Shimura Tenko was, huh?

"I know I was the one who gave him my phone number and all, but geez, can't he be a bit more lovable?" I muttered, bringing my fist up to knock on the door. There was no response so I knocked on it once more.

Still no response. I was getting bored of just ramming my fist on an inanimate object, so I slid open the door and announced my arrival in a loud voice.

"Heya, it's your friendly neighborhood Ochako-girl-oh wait, there's no one here." I scratched my head in confusion as I saw the vacant room. The bed was empty, and there was no sign of Tenko anywhere.

"…Did he just troll me?"

"Idiot. I just went to the bathroom." A voice interrupted me from behind. Startled by the sudden encounter, I flipped my head hard enough to get whiplash and jumped away, taking on a guarded stance, only to find out that it was just the depressing teenager sitting on a wheelchair with a nurse holding the handles.

"Oh, it's just you. Whew, I thought you were a serial killer for a second." I wiped off the fake sweat on my brow. Tenko just scowled and asked the nurse to bring him to his bed, which she complied. After he was safely transferred to his comfy rest place, the nurse bowed and exited the room, leaving the both of us alone.

I took the seat near his bed, and propped one of elbows up on his bed, putting my head in my hand while the other hand drummed on the white sheets. I looked straight into his blood red eyes, and smiled.

"Alright then, curved line. What do you want to talk about? I'm all ears." I tried to make my voice as soft as possible, hoping to seem gentle and reassuring. It must have been hard for someone as prideful as him to call a little girl to listen to his story, and I wasn't about to make this anymore humiliating for him. He was exactly mentally stable after all, and I didn't want to do anything unnecessary to trigger him.

"…Irritating brat." I heard him whisper under his breath. I felt a vein pop.

"Do you want me to listen to you or not?"

"Shut up. I never asked for your help." He scoffed, turning his head to the side and avoiding my eyes.

This little…!

I sucked in a deep breath in order to calm myself down. Despite his attitude, he _did_ call me. The only thing stopping him was probably his pride that couldn't seem to disappear right now. If he was acting like a little kid, I had to be the one acting like an adult.

"…So…" I started, before getting cut off by his voice.

"Hey."

"…Yeah?"

"Shut up."

…Dear god, even if I killed him now, nothing bad would happen, right?

"…Just sit down and wait." I heard a soft murmur escape his lips. I exhaled once more and slumped down onto his bed, pressing my face against the sheets.

"…Alright, fine." I pouted, closing my eyes and listening to the sound of his breathing.

For a while, we just sat there in silence. I could feel his eyes drifting over me a few times, but I pretended not to notice and continued closing my eyes. I could almost feel the way he was thinking rapidly, all his thoughts jumbled and messed up in his head, and the faint scratching of skin. I opened my eyes briefly to find him scratching his neck with his nails absentmindedly, as if it was a habit of his whenever he was frustrated or confused. I closed my eyes again when his red eyes darted to my slumped form.

I heard a small click of a tongue, before his voice drifted over to me. "…My father was killed roughly a year ago."

I didn't move, or give him any confirmation that I was listening. He didn't seem to mind, and continued to talk in a hesitant voice. "I'm not exactly sure how it happened. I just received a visit from the police who told me that my father was found dead in an alleyway. There was no trace of anybody, but I doubt it was an accident. He was definitely killed by somebody, but I had no idea of the culprit."

I gently opened my eyes and looked up at him. He wasn't facing me but the window, so I could only see the back of his head as he spoke. "I was left alone. My mother was gone since I was born, and I had no relatives. I had no idea how to live alone. I was so lost and confused, and I couldn't do anything for two months."

He paused for a moment, as if he was remembering a bitter memory. "…Then those debt collectors came. We weren't exactly rich, we barely had any money, so my father had borrowed money from places I had no idea of. They demanded I pay my father's debts, but I didn't have anything. They started to tear the house down, saying that since I couldn't pay, they would take the house."

I blinked softly as I saw his fist tighten."I ran away. I survived for a few months on scraps and trash, until I stumbled upon a small bar. I was tattered and hungry, and the owner of that bar found me collapsed in front of his place. He fed me and didn't ask anything, and for a few days I was finally able to relax. I didn't tell him about my past, but I could talk to him about the things I liked. For a few weeks, I was thinking of working at that bar because I figured he would have let me."

I wasn't lying; I felt a chill when he mentioned a bar. I gulped softly and tried to reassure myself that it wasn't who I thought it was, there was no proof. For all I know, it could have been a different place. There was no way.

"…But those men caught up to me. I was about to ask the owner for a job, but they got to me before I could. They dragged me into a random alleyway and started to tell me things of how people like me weren't allowed to live, people as pathetic as me wouldn't have a place to belong. I fought back. I didn't like the way they talked to me."

I felt my heart clench at the hurt and bitterness hidden in his tone. "I lost of course. I couldn't fight against three people and win. I got punched, kicked, slashed at without any mercy. I managed to use my quirk on the leg of one of them, but they only got angrier. When they were satisfied, they left me to rot. I had given up on everything at that point. No one came to my rescue no matter how much I called or pleaded for help. Everyone just walked on normally, as if it was an everyday occurrence."

It probably was, because there were heroes, I heard the hidden message. No one helped him because they believed that a hero would come and save the poor, helpless teenager. However, not a single 'hero' did.

"…That's what happened. I met you soon after." He shuffled around, his head facing me now. He didn't look surprised when he saw my brown eyes gazing up at him.

"…Do you want to go back to when your father was alive?" I whispered in a voice that only he could hear.

"…I don't know." He confessed, the emotions in his eyes wavering as his hand reached up to his neck again. I gently stretched my arm and held his hand, stopping him from continuing. He flinched, his hand freezing. I got up from my sleeping position and held his hand in two of mine, softly pulling his arm towards me.

"…I don't know if I can do anything to help you." I confessed, my grip tightening. He looked at me in confusion hidden behind his half-lidded eyes, and I continued. "I can't deal with those debt collectors or give you any money, since my family's not rich either. I can't reverse time to bring your original life back either. I can only do one thing."

I smiled at him, a small smile that I tried my best to muster. His eyes widened slightly. "You can talk to me. Talk to me about anything or everything; let all your feelings out on me. I'll listen, I promise I will."

He started to shake slightly. I widened my smile, feeling the power in his hand strengthen and told him as sincerely as I could.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling me everything. It must have been hard." I squeezed his hands gently.

In a flash, he pulled his hand away from me and looked away. "Get out."

"…What?" I was confused, my heart beating irregularly. Did I mess up? Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?

"…Please." His body was trembling, and his voice was hard to hear since he was covering his mouth with it. I could hear choked sobs coming from him, and small drops of water were falling down onto his blankets.

"...Get out…"

I understood what he wanted. I got up and grabbed my bag, searching around before pulling out a certain container that held a certain ice cream.

"…I'll leave this here. Call me whenever you want to see me again." I said in a soft voice, and turned on my heel, leaving the room as quietly as I could.

I slumped down onto the door, my back pressing against it as I sighed. I reached up and wiped at my eyes, feeling them moist up. My heart twisted when I recalled how much he seemed to be in pain when he told me his story. He had been through a lot, and probably had most of feelings bottled up.

…Damn it.

I had another thing to protect now. At this rate, I might as well be Superwoman, haha.

 **XXX**

Time flew by quickly. Shimura Tenko had called me a few days later, and I returned to his room. He was as brash and foul mouthed as ever, as if we totally didn't have that bonding moment back then, but I didn't miss the way his eyes seemed to light up a little when I entered his room. I didn't miss the way he enjoyed the chocolate chip ice cream I bought for him.

Of course after seeing him eat it up like a hyena, I obviously wanted some as well, chocolate chip being my favorite and all. We started to wrestle for the small cup of happiness, and it was the first time I heard Shimura Tenko laugh. Of course he laughed when I tripped and fell flat on my face, but it was a laugh nonetheless. I hid my smile at that and demanded he hand over a spoonful before engaging in battle again.

We bonded, or so I think we did. He was still foul-mouthed and cold in a teenager kind of way, I think he was just embarrassed to admit that his first friend was an eight year old girl (Yes, he didn't have any friends at school when he was younger, nor in high school. Poor angsty dude). We agreed on ice cream being the best snack of all time, we agreed that the name 'black pudding' sucked. We didn't agree that kung fu movies were as badass as British spy movies; we didn't agree that Pokemon was better than Digimon.

…I still don't understand why, I mean, kung fu movies are awesome! Digimon is too! Teenagers, never understood them then, still don't understand them now.

We avoided certain topics though. We didn't talk about our society or about heroes in general. I mentioned it once, and he shut up and didn't speak to me for a whole ten minutes. He wasn't fond of heroes at all, so we never watched any hero movies that were on TV or the news (Not like I wanted to though). I figured that his dislike of heroes would be brought up again somewhere in the future, so I didn't push it. He was finally opening up to me, and I didn't want to risk it.

A year passed like that. I still talked to Shouto every weekend, and I still trained and played with him. He was just busy training in his home that I didn't see him as often as I used to. It seemed like most of my time had transferred to being in the hospital room with Tenko instead. I didn't mind, no matter what happened Shouto and I would never be apart, we were still best friends even if we spent less time with each other.

Of course, my parents were worried. I wasn't hanging around Shouto so often anymore, and I was visiting the hospital daily. They confronted me about it one day, so I confessed the truth and told them about Tenko. Their worries just increased, they were afraid that I was hanging around a bad influence despite how much I tried to tell them he was harmless. When I told Tenko about them, he snapped and told me that if I was being worried like that, I should stop seeing him and go back to where I belonged. I snapped at that and told him that being with him was my choice and he belonged with me just as much as my parents did, and we got into a fight.

I had no idea what was wrong with him at that time. We spent so much time together I had automatically thought he was my friend. When he told me that I didn't belong with him, something in me just broke. He talked as if he was an unneeded presence.

In order to end this unnecessary trouble, I brought my parents along with me and introduced them to each other. If they didn't believe me, might as well have them see with their own eyes. Tenko was shocked and nearly lashed out at me, but I calmed him down and explained my feelings.

"You're a friend to me, no matter what you say. I didn't want you to think that you're unnecessary. I need you, so please, don't push me away again, Tenko."

"…You're an idiot."

"I like to call it, 'believing in my friends'."

I hugged him and he hugged back for a millisecond before pushing his hand on my face (without all of his fingers touching me, of course.) and demanded that I separated from him and that it was embarrassing. Me being me, I decided to tease him and whined that he was being a 'Tsundere Teenager' and needed more love.

It was probably the first time I saw Tenko blush. I wished I had a camera to capture that glorious moment.

My parents saw my interaction with him, and seemed to reconsider him being a threat to me. They apologized to him for thinking that he was a bad person, and he accepted reluctantly. Since that he had recovered immensely compared to when I first saw him (Most of his bandages were gone and his casts were off, he was just on rehabilitation for his broken limbs), they suggested a small picnic together as an apology and a chance to get to know him better.

I prodded him to go along with it, and he accepted the offer.

The picnic was hectic to say the least. We picked a relatively quiet place, but there were still kids running around. I spilled my drink all over myself and chased after the brats who bumped into me while Tenko was snickering at me, before throwing rocks at me when I knocked over his food on purpose.

It ended in us being tired and beat, both of us panting as I lay on the ground with Tenko leaning on a tree trunk. My parents were laughing and smiling at us, and for a moment, I had felt as if I was back with my old family. I had an elder brother before, so it felt nostalgic somehow. I knocked away that thought soon after, this was my family, and Tenko wasn't my brother. He was a friend.

These peaceful times didn't last for too long, as the world loved throwing bad luck at us. Tenko was almost fully recovered, but he didn't have the money to cover the hospital bills. He didn't want to talk about this with me nor my parents, I found out when I overheard him talking to his doctor during one of my visits. He was trying to negotiate, and it seemed like it was working, but not enough. I had to do something about this, so I went to my parents for advice.

To be honest, we had enough money to pay for his bills, but it would leave us with almost nothing in return. A lot went to the hospital's pockets when I was stuck there, and even with both of my parents working, it wasn't enough to pay for Tenko and assure us a normal life.

Shouto had sensed my irritation when I was with training with him, so I told him the problem. Shouto had nodded solemnly and offered his money to pay instead.

"No way! This is my problem, not yours!'

"Friends help each other."

"Money is a different case all together! Besides, I doubt your grandmother would let you!"

"It sounds weird if I say this, but I'm not worried over money, and I'm sure my grandmother isn't too, Ochako."

"Damn rich boy."

I negotiated with the doctor as best as I could. I begged father to let me assist in his construction work. I did anything I could, everything I could. I couldn't let Tenko suffer alone. I even tried to find a place that would let kids work, but with school and training and assisting with building work, I didn't have the time to do anything else.

I had nearly given up. I had no idea what to do. Tenko was suspicious of me; I could feel his blood red eyes piercing through my skull every time I came to him with bruises and cuts.

He cornered me one day, demanding I tell him what was up. I gave in and told him everything. He threw the food tray at me for being an idiot, and I kicked him back, and we started fighting until a nurse came and broke us up.

We didn't stop hurling insults at each other though.

"You idiot midget! Who gave you the right to eavesdrop?"

"Angsty teen! Who gave you the right to not tell me about it?"

"It's my own right you meddlesome little brat!"

"Shut up vampire eyes!"

The hospital contacted my parents, and they came rushing over. Tenko was livid when he heard that they had been working harder to help him too (I was really surprised when I heard that, but it now that I thought about it, mother came home later than before and father looked more battered than usual too), and he told us to stop trying so much for him. I had no idea that we would hold out a family drama right in front of the doctor who cleared his throat when all of us were bickering.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Uraraka."

"What is it?!"

"You do not have to worry. Shimura Tenko's bills have all been paid."

All four of us whipped our head to the spectacled doctor. "…What?" Tenko furrowed his eyebrows.

"An anonymous person came and offered to pay for his bills in advance. After his rehabilitation is successful, he will be discharged from the hospital without any problems." The doctor confirmed.

…I had an idea on who did it, but I didn't want to reveal anything. Tenko would kill me for sure.

("Shouto, you idiot!"

"What?"

"Stop doing stuff without telling me!"

"I don't think you're in a position to say that, Ochako."

"…Flamey buttcrackers."

"You're welcome. Friends help each other, even when that help is unwanted, right?")

That passing year was filled with more events. During a typical snowing day in winter with me and Tenko out in the balcony, I revealed what I was thinking to Tenko that evening.

"When you're done, come and live with us."

"…What?"

"You don't have a place to go, right? Come with us."

"No way. You're such an irritating bunch of people, who would-"

"Tenko."

"…You remind me too much of my father. Self-sacrificing and trying to help others unnecessarily. He did so much to protect me, and paid the price. I don't need anyone else looking after me. I can do it myself."

"We're not going to die, Tenko. We won't leave you alone."

"…That's what they all say, Ochako."

Of course, I didn't let the matter go. I bugged him and bugged him, but he never gave in. He kept refusing with that sad look in his eyes he so desperately tried to cover up, but I could see the walls around his heart crumbling down. He wanted to. He really did, but he was afraid of being more attached to us and losing us, like he did with his father.

I never asked him much about his family, but it was clear to say that he did love him. From his description, he sounded just like Nana, like a hero. Maybe that was why he disliked heroes, the incident at the alleyway was one factor, but maybe he thought that heroes always got hurt trying to save others, like his father who died. The reason behind his death was a mystery, but Tenko somehow thought that it was related to him. He told me that he had plunged into a state of self hate and depression before because of that.

When the time came and he was discharged without any problem, I didn't listen to his demands as I forcefully dragged him to my house. I had activated my quirk on him so I pulled on his sleeve as he floated helplessly in the air.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!"

"No way in hell."

"Let go of me, gravity midget!"

"Shut up and just let me pull you, eighth grader!"

"I do not have eight grade syndrome!"

"You act like you do with all your weird 'gamer' vocabulary."

"Shut up!"

Mother and father had welcomed him. They showered him with hugs and streamers, with a small cupcake as a gift for his 'welcome-home party'. Yes, he denied it. He protested and glared and attempted to leave many times. It wasn't until my mother hugged him that he froze up.

"Tenko. You don't have to be scared of us." She whispered softly as she gently stroked his hair. He bit his lip as she continued talking. "We're not going to go anywhere. We'll be with you forever, we promise."

"She's right, Tenko." Father smiled warmly and patted his back. "I know that you've gone through hard times. Ochako told us all about it."

He snapped his head to glare at me, and I stuck my tongue out and pulled down my lower eyelid.

"And we'd like to tell you that you don't have to worry anymore. We promise that we won't kill ourselves for you. We won't leave you alone." Father finished gently.

"…You promise?" Tenko's rough voice trembled as mother separated from him. His head was cast down with his bluish gray hair covering his eyes, so none of us could see his expression.

Mother smiled and father laughed, I bounded over to him and jumped, wrapping my arms around him. Due to the force of my jump hug, he was pushed down to the couch as I snuggled up to him. I heard him let out a small grunt and a sound of confusion.

"Of course!" I flashed him the biggest smile I could give him. "Who do you think we are? If I'm the most fantastically awesome girl in the world, my family's obviously the most fantastically awesome one in the universe!"

His blood red eyes widened as his mouth was left in a half open condition. His eyebrows furrowed as his lips trembled, and his eyes reflected the most emotion I ever saw. He had the most heartbreaking expression on, a mix of hope and sadness, and yearning.

"…Idiot." That was the last word that escaped his lips as he pushed himself up and wrapped his hands around me in less than a second. I lost my voice, and my face melted into an expression of shock.

In less than a minute, mother and father's arms were around us, and Tenko and I were squished between the two adults.

In that minute, I started to cry for an unknown reason, and I could feel him shaking in response. Mother was crying too, and father was sniffing as quietly as possible.

… _Welcome back._

All of this happened during the year I turned nine.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay! Here is chapter seven!**

 **I'm sorry that it took so long. There were a lot of things to do this week that involved school, so I was held back. I'm sad to say that since that I have a test at the end of this week, this week's chapter may get delayed as well…**

 **I'm very sorry, but I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Not all of Tenko's problems are resolved, since emotional stuff takes time to fix, but a lot of his load has finally been lifted by the awesome Uraraka family.**

 **Finally, we're getting into the more important part of the story in the next chapter. I hope you look forward to it! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Also apologies if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, I do re-read my chapters, but I still miss a few here and there... and my English is deteriorating... Sigh.  
**

 **Thank you always to my readers, reviewers, followers and favortiers! I love all of you.  
**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	9. Chapter 8: Eight different views

**-"The world is unfair. That's the truth I learned at a young age. Yet, is this world so unforgiving that it forbids even someone like me to be unable to dream?"- Midoriya Izuku**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA(MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 8: Eight different views**

The rain was cold.

He held up a small hand as he angled his head to look at the sky. The small drops of endless water beat down on his small figure relentlessly, rolling off his face and falling to the ground. His clothes were wet, sticking to his body like a second layer of skin. His hair was mattered and flapped down onto his skull, his long bangs sticking to his forehead. His blank eyes stared at the grey sky above him.

The sky flickered, a flash of lightning streaking across the broad horizon. The stormy clouds rumbled and rustled, making a sound that resembled a volcano exploding. The wind was harsh, blowing in all directions and swaying trees.

The small boy was just standing there, unmoving.

He looked down at his feet, seeing the wet concrete. He could hear the faint beeping of cars and the noise of the city, but there was nothing here now. There wasn't anybody around.

He guessed that it was a good thing then.

It was convenient, he told himself. No one would know, no one would see. It was fine, it was okay. He would be okay. His mother would be okay from now on.

His mother. He found her crying in the kitchen, whispering and calling his name. She had mentioned something about school, about his father, about his non-abilities. She had cried for a straight hour, and he listened to every heart wrenching rip that tore at his fragile soul.

'Ah, it's about me again.' He thought absentmindedly, his hands running up and down his arms.

It's okay mom, he wanted to tell her. Don't worry, he wanted to squeeze her.

You'll be fine from now one. Forget about me. Live your own life.

He closed his eyes gently. He recalled all his memories, sad and happy. The times she smiled at him, the times she had patted him gently, the times when she would laugh with him. When it was with her, everything was okay. His mom was amazing like that.

He re opened his eyes, his conscious flooding into the dark area of his mind. He remembered the anger, the grief, the despair with every hit and shout. The words that haunted him from the day he was born. Those words that pushed him this far, that pushed her that far.

Useless. Hopeless. Worthless.

Quirkless.

'It's okay mom. You don't have to worry about me anymore,' He spoke to her in his head. He felt a small smile tug at his lips.

'Goodbye.'

He took a step, and felt vertigo.

 **XXX**

Stupid rain.

I cursed under my breath as my hands gripped the umbrella, a bag of groceries in my other hand. No matter what angle I tried to tilt my umbrella to, the wind kept deciding to change directions so the rain would hit me no matter what. I was soaked, the water seeping to my bones as I shivered, my teeth clattering.

The rainy season sucked. I loved summer, summer brought warmth and light, and most importantly, vacation, but the rainy season always had to come first. Spring rain was a part of the cycle of seasons that Japan was wonderfully blessed with. It didn't mean I couldn't dislike it though. I was currently freezing like a popsicle after all.

I let out a sigh, recalled the events that led me to this point.

First, mother and father were out. Work, they told me. They were busy and had to stay back at their workplace. I didn't ask much so I didn't know what they were doing, but they assured that they'd be back the next day and left me and Tenko at home with a kiss on both of our foreheads.

Up until then was fine. After that was a disaster.

I was hungry, so I decided to grab something to eat. I headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge, only to find nothing there. I was sure that mother had whipped up something for me to eat, so I was left with a hungry stomach and questions. When I went to the living room, I got my answers. That damn eighth grader was eating my food.

I pounced on him the moment I saw the evidence, which led us to a small duel between midget and teen. In a fit of blind anger and disbelief, I had aimed a kick at him that he dodged, and happened to hit the table that had our food on instead. The table wobbled, and the bowl holding noodles dropped to the ground.

I had never felt more despair.

Tenko had yelled at me to go get more food. I shouted back that I didn't know how to cook. He repelled with an 'I don't either so go buy some!' and promptly threw me out of the house with a wallet and a jacket.

Damn ungrateful bastard, acting like this was his home…

…Oh wait, it technically was. But I was there first!

Left on my own, I had walked to the nearest supermarket only to find that it was closed due to a villain wreaking the inside the other day. I had gone to the nearest convenience store next, only to find that it too was closed due to a villain attack yesterday.

How could one be so unlucky, I had no idea.

The only option left was to walk to the city and buy something there. Thankfully the city was at walking distance from my house, so I reluctantly moved my lazy feet in the direction of the bustling main area. It was different from the suburbs, there were people almost everywhere and it was noisy. Chattering, honking and flashing lights, it seemed so full of life. I entered a supermarket that was untouched by evil, thankfully, and quickly bought some instant ramen.

I exited the building when it started to pour all of a sudden. I had nearly thrown my food to the road in frustration. I knew that it was rainy season, but why did the unstable weather had to pick now, out of all times? I had rushed to the nearest convenience store after that to buy a plastic umbrella. I was already wet at that point, and the plastic bag I carried was slightly drenched as well.

Back to the present, and here I was, a small girl walking in the rain with a completely useless umbrella, feeling like a wet cat and giving the sky a middle finger.

The wind blew at me again as I shivered.

All of a sudden, something hit me.

It was quiet. Kind of too quiet.

I looked around, realizing that I couldn't see any people around. The buildings around me were lower compared to before, and there were houses now. I wanted to hit my head on an electric pole. I had wandered into a residential district by accident, and I had no idea where I was.

How was I going to get home now?

Wait, calm down Ochako. Just go back to where you came from, it should be fine then. I needed to go to a familiar place, a place where I recognized. I could just find my way back then.

I nodded, giving myself a small pep talk. Don't worry Ochako, you're the most badass girl in the world, there is no stopping you! Go, go, go! You can do it!

…I think I puked a little, eargh.

I let out another sigh as I passed a building that caught my attention. I read the sign that was engraved on the small board on the gates, and it said 'Kamino Primary School'. I looked up at it and was slightly awed at the size. My school wasn't as big compared to this place since that it wasn't in the city, so it was a new sight for me to see. I had never really been around this area since that I had no business with it.

Why did I stop in front of this school, I wasn't so sure. I felt like something was compelling me to look at it, like something had pushed my mind and gave my body a command to stop.

I spotted a small shadowed figure on the roof. I squinted my eyes, trying to get a better look. It didn't seem to be an adult, it was too small. It could have been a villain, but it wasn't moving. I would have thought that whatever it was, it was an inanimate object placed on the school roof if it didn't look too much like a little kid.

But I had a strange feeling. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with this scene.

If it was a human, how did it get up there? Weren't the gates supposed to be closed since it was a weekend? My hand reached for the slightly rusted gates, and I pushed it.

It opened. It wasn't locked. Someone must have forgotten, a teacher perhaps.

The feeling in my gut worsened as I entered the school area. I looked up again, and my heart stopped.

It was gone.

My eyes traced the outer walls frantically. I saw a small figure falling down the side of the building. My body moved before I could comprehend anything.

The umbrella and instant ramen were ditched as I dropped them to the muddy ground and made a break for it. I ran with all I had, my eyes following the rapidly falling body.

I was getting closer, but it was falling even faster. It was around the second floor now, and I was still a few meters away. I had to make it, I had to! I had no idea what it was, but I couldn't let it hit the ground, a small voice in my head told me.

Come on, move it! I mentally yelled at my legs as I sped up, my breath ragged and uneven.

As I got closer, I could see a mess of curls. Since that it was dark, it was hard to see, but I only knew one person with those waves. My breath got stuck in my throat as my eyes widened with disbelief. It felt as if time had stopped when that person had appeared right in front of me, just a meter away.

I could see him. Freckles on his cheeks, his eyes closed, his expression peaceful. His dark hair sticking to his face, his drenched clothes. Everything registered in my mind the moment I could see him.

Why? I wanted to scream. Why were you here?

"MIDORIYAAA!" I screamed as I reached out a hand in desperation. Reach, reach, reach, please, reach him! Don't let him hit the ground!

For a moment, I could only feel his hair. For that dreaded second, I had thought it was too late. I could feel him slipping past my fingers; I could see him falling right in front of me.

I felt despair. I felt everything freeze as I came face to face with him.

No. Not now, not when he was right there in front of me. I couldn't, I wouldn't let him disappear on me like that! He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to die here!

I had to save him. I HAD TO.

With a heart breaking roar, I jumped at the last moment. My fingers snapped against his cheek, and I cried out in desperation.

" _ZERO GRAVITY, FUCKING IDIOT!"_

The sound of the wind howled. I could hear my heartbeat drum in my ears as the muddy ground rapidly approached me.

I fell to the ground in a mess, breath uneven and heart beating rapidly. For a second, all I could do was freeze in place as I felt the rain pelt at me. I then flipped my head upwards to look, my hair sticking to my face, and I saw him.

Midoriya Izuku. He was floating upwards slowly. He wasn't falling. He wasn't _dead._

He was _alive._

I pressed my hands together weakly. " _Deactivate."_

Gravity took its toll, and he started to fall. This time, I was ready. I got up, pushing myself weakly to my feet, and he fell right into my arms in a bridal fashion. The little boy was wearing a simple blue shirt with black shorts that ended at his knees. He was dressed so lightly despite the temperature, and I could feel his ice cold skin on my hands.

I inspected his face. His eyes were still closed and he was breathing evenly, which led to me thinking that he was most likely unconscious. Just in case, I put my head to his chest to hear his heartbeat, and was relieved to find that it was operating normally.

My eyes traced from his face to his neck. There was a bruise that circled around his neck, along with a few marks that seemed to be burnt into his skin. My eyes moved from his neck to his arms, and I nearly dropped him in shock.

There were cuts and bruises everywhere. I felt my blood run cold as I spotted all the marks of pain on his skin. Some were light and fading, others were fresh, but none were life threatening. Bruises were splattered in an uncoordinated fashion, some being big and some small, and all at random spots. I didn't like the way it looked on him, I didn't like how he looked at all. I could see burns here and there too.

My eyes turned to his legs next. My grip tightened on his body.

His legs were no better, there were less cuts but more bruises as if to make up for the lack of it. There was a huge scar on his knee that caught my eye, the flesh looked red and raw, and it reminded me of the scar on Shouto's face. It was a burn; there was no doubt it.

Something thumped in me and I winced, feeling a headache hit. I felt as if I had seen that scar somewhere before, but I couldn't remember. Where did I…?

The headache got worse. I shook my head deciding to forget about it for now, and it lifted, though with a slight linger.

The raindrop that pelted my nose reminded me of where I was. I needed to get out of here; it wasn't safe in the rain. Letting out a deep breath, I adjusted his position in my arms and ran out of the school. I could have just gone inside, but it was void of people and I doubted that there would be any sort of help. I needed to get him somewhere safe, someplace warm.

The rain got heavier.

With Midoriya weighing me down, I could only go so far before I was exhausted. I never had to carry a boy my height before, and I had been running for a while. I had no idea where I was. I couldn't seem to find my way back to the city.

I needed shelter. Anywhere would be fine. The rain was getting too much for me to bear.

"Don't worry Midoriya, you'll be fine." I murmured gently, gripping the unconscious boy in my small arms. "I won't let anything happen to you."

My shoes splashed in the puddles. My legs were shivering, and my lips were quivering. I was feeling number and number by the moment. I blinked rapidly and shook my head, trying to keep my conscious clear and focused, but it was barely working.

I thought I was going to collapse on the roadside when I saw it.

A bus stop with a dry bench and a roof over it. It wasn't warm, nor was it much of a comfortable place, but it would do. It would keep us safe from the rain at least.

With that thought in mind, I readjusted the fainted Midoriya in my arms and made a final sprint towards the shelter.

When I entered the dry space, I was so relieved. The wind had fortunately died down a little, so the rain wasn't coming in from the sides. I set Midoriya down on the left side of the wooden bench, and unzipped my jacket, squeezing as much water out as I could in the process.

"Here, you probably need this more than I do. Though, it's wet too so it might not be much of a difference." I joked lightly and draped it over his upper body. I took my place on the opposite side of the long seat and leaned my head back, spreading my legs and arms. Behind me were another row of houses and a hydrangea bush decorating the walls. The raindrops that landed on the dainty petals seemed mystical in a way, and it gave me a weird feeling. Not bad, but a strange, peaceful mood.

My eyes trailed to the fainted figure next to me. His expression was peaceful and undisturbed, despite the blood curdling situation I found him in. He seemed so serene and relieved, and it made me wonder how someone so close to death could make this kind of face.

Why? Why was Midoriya Izuku on that roof today? Why was he jumping off of it?

The answer that I came to as a conclusion wasn't pleasant, and I didn't want to think about it.

The coldness hit me again as I shivered, and I rubbed my hands up and down my long sleeves. I was usually not this sensitive to the cold, not having a heater in winter with only blankets and hot chocolate trained me, but I was soaked and probably looked and felt like a drowned rat. Giving my jacket to Midoriya left me with only my thin sweater to rely on, and it wasn't much.

"I doubt your decision to wear shorts today man…" I whispered, glancing down at Midoriya's legs. The horrible burn was reflected in my eyes, and I winced, feeling a headache hit me again.

I sighed and massaged my temples, leaning my head back even further until I was looking straight up. Feeling slightly bored as the only thing I could do was waiting until the rain stopped, I begun to do the only thing I could do in this situation.

Talk to an unresponsive person my age about unnecessary things.

"So, how are you?" I started, swinging my legs to and fro. "I haven't seen you since… seven, I guess. Two years pass by quickly, don't they?"

There was no response. I kept talking.

"Your hair looks just as funky as I remember it. It's still green too. Then again, human beings don't change hair color unless they dye it or something. You probably don't know me, but I have the hair color of a chestnut, and my hairstyle even looks like one. …I should probably change both, since you know, I'm not really _her_ anymore."

"Sometimes I wish I was her though. Or maybe if I weren't here in the first place. Everything in this world would be fine and dandy even without me, and I seriously wonder who was it who decided to dump me here. I was just a regular person, after all. …Okay, maybe I was underage when I snuck into a senior collage party during my high school years and drank vodka. Maybe I purposely caused a fire in the science lab during third grade just because of a stupid pop quiz. Maybe I drunk drove into some guy's house before at four in the morning. But all of them are just maybe's and you're not going to remember all of this anyway, so I'm just gonna keep my mouth running."

I twiddled with my fingers, my head still tiled back and my eyes never straying from above. "I don't know what kind of life you've lived through that it prompted you to do something that stupid. At least, I'm just gonna assume that, since you know, you can't tell me anything right now, and I seriously doubt you'd want to. I'm going to be honest, I probably don't know how you feel. I've been bullied before, yeah, but I didn't really care about them anyway. Only Shouto really mattered. But you're different. You don't have anyone to rely on, or believe in except your mother, and even she didn't quite believe in you like you wanted her to."

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes. "I wish I could have got to you sooner. I wish I could have saved you faster. I wish I could understand you. I wish I could protect you. That's a lot of wishes there, and I know I can't make all of them come true. Despite what I say, I'm not really that fantastically awesome, I'm just a regular girl. I'm not god, I don't have any special powers, I'm just plain old me equipped with a huge protective streak as my only weapon. But if I don't continue to say that, I don't think I can do everything I want to do while I'm living. And, well, lies become the truth eventually, don't they?"

I reopened my eyes. "You're going to be fine. Even without me, I had thought that you'd be fine. You're strong, you're not weak. You don't need a quirk to become a hero, because a hero isn't just about power. You've got a big heart, Midoriya, and that's what makes you a hero."

I could feel my eyelids drooping, and grip on reality was fading slowly. I was tired, it was unavoidable after all, and I ran in the rain carrying a boy my size for… a few minutes? I wasn't so sure.

"You're going to be the best hero in the world…With or without a quirk. So…don't die…Live on…Because, I know…"

 _You can do it._

I let the darkness take my mind, and fell asleep.

 **XXX**

When Izuku opened his eyes, he wasn't expecting to be able to open them at all.

His vision was bleary and his head was foggy, but he knew that he was alive, somehow. He had no idea why he was alive, or where he was. Was this heaven, or hell? He wanted to ask himself, but sadly, he knew that the answer was neither.

He let out an unnoticeable groan, and slowly pushed his upper body upwards. He could feel something sliding off his shoulders, and he looked down on his lap to see a drenched, brown jacket. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion; he didn't remember wearing anything like this.

His vision was clearing slightly. He blinked numerous times, trying to get the blur out. He moved his legs and arms, and he found that nothing was broken. He was safe and in one piece. Not what he expected from jumping off a five story building.

His hands moved and gently gripped the fabric on his lap. It was small and unknown, so he concluded that it was someone else's, the question was, who?

He raised his head, and his breath was stuck in his throat. His vision cleared, and suddenly, he could see everything. A strike of fear and curiosity hit him at the same time, and he found that he couldn't tear his eyes away.

A girl. There was a girl sitting across from him. She had damp chestnut colored hair framing her face, the short locks of hair coming down to the middle of her neck. Her skin was slightly tanned, a faint shade of light gold. She was wearing a light gray sweater with long brown pants, both clothing wet as if she had run through a storm. Her eyes were closed and small puffs of breaths escaped her slightly open mouth, she seemed to be asleep. The rain falling and the purple and pink hydrangeas blooming behind her made her seem as if she was part of a painting.

It was the first time Izuku thought of anyone besides his mother to be 'beautiful'.

He slowly moved towards her, his curiosity momentarily taking over his fright. He moved quietly and gently, as to not interrupt this quiet moment. He was now close enough to see her face better, and he spotted the faint freckles that splashed across her nose and cheeks with light blush circles. Her cheeks looked like mochi, he absentmindedly thought, feeling a strange urge to poke them. He could hear soft snores coming from her lips, and he knew that she was asleep now.

He moved away and blinked, his eyes tracing from her to the jacket in his hands. He had a strange feeling that she was the owner of it, which meant that she was the one who saved him from that fall. A little girl like her? How?

He quickly erased that question when he thought that she probably had a quirk. A dark feeling wrenched in his heart at the slight touch of that topic, and he quickly erased that from his mind as well.

It wasn't impossible. This world was full of impossible things anyway.

He bit his lip, trying and failing to keep his forbidden thoughts from circling his mind. Why did she save him? Why didn't she let him fall? Why did she let someone like him live?

Wait, she didn't know that he didn't have a quirk, that he was quirkless. That explained it; she probably thought that he was a person with a bright future who was trying to throw that away. She probably thought that he was a person worth saving.

Feeling his panicked emotions calm down, he let out a breath and nodded to himself. It made sense. He wasn't wrong. Quirkless people aren't needed in the world. What he did was justified according to common sense. He wasn't wrong.

He slowly pulled the wet fabric away from his body, and draped it around her upper body instead. He tried his best not to touch her directly, keeping a fair distance between them. He didn't know who she was, but she was a kind and warm person, he instinctively knew. She saved him when there was nobody around. She had a sense of justice, just like a hero.

She was just like a hero, his heart ached, and he shook his head. He harshly thumped his hand on his chest, trying to stop his heart from hurting, and let out a small cough of pain instead.

Right, he forgot there was a bruise there. He winced and traced it above his shirt. Kacchan was ruthless when it came to beating him like a punching bag, and he had bruises all over his body. His 'friend' had stomped on his chest many times, making it hard to breathe even now. Not that he didn't deserve it; he stood in his way during a game of soccer after all. He also got a few beatings from others for missing the only shot he had. Just like always, they always managed to find some reason for inflicting pain on him.

He didn't mind, but it still hurt. It was getting harder to hide the blue blacks from his mother too; she was suspicious of him always coming home tattered and torn. His lie of playing with Kacchan and falling down would only last so long. It was harder to lie about the cuts on his skin though; he mindlessly traced the ones on his wrist. He needed to think of something else soon.

His green eyes moved back towards the sleeping girl's face. She showed no signs of waking up; she seemed to be deep in sleep. For a moment he had a horrible thought that she was actually dead, but reassured himself when he could hear her breathing. She wasn't dead, and neither was he. They were both alive, he told himself, breathing deeply.

He slowly got off the bench he was sitting on, and balanced himself on his shaky knees. He looked around, scanning his surroundings. His sharp eyes never missed a spot, noticing every small detail to the snail on the leaf to the rust of the bus stand.

He was near his house. He could go home. He could just leave her and retreat into his warm abode.

But that would be too cruel. That would be selfish, and he wasn't allowed to be selfish.

But he couldn't be so close to her anymore. He had to get away from her.

His conflicting thoughts started to circle in his mind once more, and he winced as a headache assaulted him. He gripped his green locks tightly, pressing his knuckles to his head and panting, squatting down to the concrete ground.

Leave her.

Stay.

Leave.

Stay.

Leave Stay Leave You are not worthy-She doesn't need to be here-Why is she here-Why am I here-Leave-go-stay- help.

 _Help._

"…Brat."

He jumped of fright the moment he heard the sudden disruption, and scooted away from the source of the voice, hiding behind the side of the bench. He peeked through the top, seeing a skinny teen with pale blue hair standing in the rain, a white plastic umbrella in his hand. He felt a shiver rake his body when blood red eyes darted upwards to find him, before averting back down to stare at the girl.

"…Meddlesome brat." He heard a sigh escape the teen's lips. He saw him put his umbrella down on the ground and entered the shelter, grabbing the girl and hoisting her up to his back. When he safely got her into a piggy-back ride, he turned around, his eyes making contact with his. He felt a small whimper emitting from his throat.

He was scary, Izuku registered in his head. His eyes looked like Kacchan's.

"Hey, you over there." The teen called to him, his face blank and void of emotion. Izuku felt another pathetic sound come out from his throat and he gulped, frozen in place.

"Whatever she did to you, treasure it. It's probably for a good reason. …Oh hell should I know, maybe it's just one of her whims." He muttered the last part, most likely not intending for Izuku to hear but he heard it anyway.

The teen then picked up the cheap umbrella on the floor, supporting the girl with one hand while holding an open umbrella in the other. She was small, so it wasn't a difficult feat, Izuku thought as he watched the two of them. It was a strange scene, the teen looked like he didn't have an ounce of kindness in him, and yet, he was treating her roughly but gently at the same time, like an elder sibling.

Izuku felt his heart clench again.

The teen spared one more look behind him. Those red eyes bore into his soul, and he couldn't help but feel as if they were completely different from Kacchan's now. Not condescending or prideful, but quiet and observant. They were calm, unlike the storm that raged in his 'friend's'.

He gave Izuku a small nod, and walked off into the rain. Izuku couldn't help but stare after them, the silhouettes of two strange people. He kept looking in their direction even when he couldn't see them because of the rain anymore.

He was left alone with only the sounds of the rain accompanying him. He let out and sucked in a deep breath. He turned around, willing his legs to move. He could feel the raindrops falling on him as he exited the area that felt like another world.

He was dreaming back then, and this was reality. He was back in his harsh, little world where nothing mattered.

"Izuku! What's wrong?! Why are you so wet?!"

He plastered the biggest smile he could on his face. His mom was fussing and worrying over him the moment he came home, and that was so like her. It was normal.

"Haha, I'm fine mom! Just got a little wet on my walk!"

This was his reality. A reality full of lies.

 **XXX**

Hypothermia and a bad case of the flu, the doctor told me.

I was confined to my bed for more than a week, my mother scolded me. My father sighed and brought me a cup of hot coco, trying his best to lift my spirits. When I called Shouto to tell him, he just told me "I probably deserved it for doing something stupid." Tenko just scoffed and told me "That's what you get for staying out in the rain for too long."

I was half tempted to throw my hot chocolate at him.

I thought I was falling asleep at that bus stop, but apparently, I was passing out due to fatigue and cold. If I had stayed any longer wet, I would've gotten worse symptoms, but luckily Tenko managed to find me and bring me home before I was declared dead.

"How did you find me?" I asked him as I blew my nose, most of the blankets in the house pilling up on top of me. Tenko paused in whatever he was doing (What the hell was he doing anyway?) and looked at me.

"I used my brain. Simple as that." He left my question unanswered and chucked something at me. It hit my face with a soft thump, and fell to my lap.

"What the hell?" I rubbed my nose and looked down, only to come face to face with a pink bunny and a crooked smile. I nearly threw it at the wall in surprise.

"The hell is this?!" I yelped, my voice rising higher. "Bonnie 2.0?!"

"It's a fucking stuffed doll you idiot!" He raised his voice as well, frustration and…embarrassment (?) coating his tone. "I got it for only a few hundred yen, so keep it well!"

"Who the hell would keep a creepy thing like this?!"

"Keep it, gravity brat!" He scowled and ruffled his hair messily in irritation, his red eyes flickering back and forth. "Go to sleep." He told me roughly and exited my room, slamming the door shut.

I stared after it for a while, before a snicker escaped my mouth. I looked down on the bunny and mimicked its crooked smile, snorting out of laughter.

I wasn't blind, I saw the band-aids on his hands.

"Such a tsundere, eh, Bonnie bunny?" I cackled to myself and rubbed the stuffed doll to my cheek.

I was surprised though. Who knew Tenko could sew? I didn't think he could use a needle properly in the first place.

Seeing the band-aids on his hands reminded me of the reason I was sick in the first place. I felt a frown pull my lips down, and I let out a sigh, putting down the stuffed bunny onto my lap once more.

Midoriya Izuku. I had thought that he would be the positive, never giving up boy that I knew. The Midoriya I met was full of scars and wounds, and he was so different. He seemed too fragile and delicate, and…

He jumped off a roof. A school roof. What was he thinking?

Who was he? I thought, my fists clenching. He wasn't the Midoriya I knew. He wasn't anyone I knew.

I let out another sigh and fell back down onto the pillow. Maybe I was being too harsh; maybe I was rushing to conclusions. I didn't even talk to him, how was I to know that he wasn't Midoriya. Maybe he just looked different, maybe he was still the same.

I hoped he was the same. BHA wouldn't be BHA without him. He was needed; he was the most important character of this world, he couldn't just die like that.

I won't let him, I swore to myself, hugging the doll tight to my chest. If he strayed, I would pull him back on track. I won't let him go off without me.

It was a decided fact.

So why do I feel like I'm biting off more than I could chew?

 **XXX**

"Are you okay?" Shouto asked me, his eyes flashing concern when I blew into a tissue, making a sound that could make giants cry.

Shouto was having a rest day today, and he decided to visit me. Since that it was in the afternoon, mother and father were working, and Tenko was out somewhere. He said that he had something to buy and left me alone until my best friend came.

"What do you think?" I send him a deadpanned look, rubbing my nose before throwing the used tissue into the trash bin. "I feel like shit."

"It's a cold, you're supposed to feel like that." Shouto handed me a warm cup of milk. I grabbed it eagerly and drank slowly, careful not to overwhelm my mouth with the warm liquid.

"So, what happened this time?" His gray and blue eyes searched my own as I stopped drinking the beverage. I hesitated for a moment, before giving the cup back to Shouto. He took it and put it on top of my small desk.

"…It's a long story." I admitted, scrunching my nose and sniffing. He nodded and handed me another tissue, which I accepted gratefully.

"I'm all ears."

"…Long story short, I saved an unknown little boy who was probably trying to kill himself from jumping off a school roof in the rain." I confessed, sneezing. Shouto's eyes widened with disbelief.

"You did what?" He echoed, his eyebrows furrowing. "And you don't even know him?"

"Yeah, I mean, Tenko brought me home before I could talk with him." I shrugged, burying myself deeper into the five blankets that Shouto brought over. "I didn't even get his name."

"You…Why?" Shouto questioned me, looking very distressed. "Why would you?"

I recalled Midoriya's peaceful face, and felt a small shiver that had nothing to do with my cold run down my spine. "…I just felt that he needed someone."

"…" Shouto was silent for a moment, before he looked at me straight in the eye. I was a little startled by the sudden fierceness and hardness in his eyes.

"…Don't." The words he uttered were hard, but I didn't miss the slight waver in his voice. "…Don't do anything stupid like that ever again."

I frowned and opened my mouth, before Shouto continued on with his sentence. "…Without me."

"…Huh?"

"Even if I tell you to stop saving random people, I doubt you'll listen. But I can't just leave you alone when you get into trouble." He gave me a small smile and grabbed my hand. His hand was cool to the touch.

"If you get hurt, it's my duty to split the pain with you." He declared, his grip firm and the hardness in his eyes melting away to reveal a gentleness that I lost my breath at.

I found my voice soon after, cracking a weak grin as I chuckled. "Cheeseball."

"…You're the cheeseball, saving people left and right. Such a busy-body."

"Hey, how do you think I met you?"

Life was good. I had a runny nose, a sore body and a lung hacking cough, but it was good.

Life was good.

 **XXX**

But also, boring at the same time.

"Teeenkoooo." I whined beside the napping teen. He tossed and turned, and grumpily opened an eye to look at me.

"What?"

"I'm bored." I stated with a straight face. I barely managed to dodge the fist that jabbed the air in front of me.

"Go bother that half and half friend of yours." He growled and adjusted his position on the couch again. I pouted, resting my head on the armrest as my body laid lazily on the floor.

"You haven't even met him yet and you're already using him as an excuse. Tut, tut." I waved a finger. He cracked open an eye and let out an intimidating growl.

"We just never met because of bad timing, and you talk about him all the time like he's your boyfriend." He retorted and closed his eye again. "Now go away."

"For the record, he's not my boyfriend. We're besties for life," I threw that back at him. "And I'm just soo booorrreeeedddd." I made sure to drag out as many syllables as I could. I could see a irk mark appearing on the grumpy teen's forehead.

"Tenkooo." I whined, poking the twitching teen's head. He finally gave up when I gave him one last jab, and threw me a death stare as he pushed himself awake.

"Goddamn irritating brat." He cursed under his breath, scratching his head. "Aren't you supposed to be dying in bed right now? You're not supposed to be this healthy. You even took the school day off."

"I guess I just recover fast, it's been three days already after all." I replied, sticking my tongue out. He slapped me over my head with a pillow. I hissed at him.

"So what?" He asked me once more, yawning slightly. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's go take a walk!" I said immediately, brightening up. "I want to go to the city!"

"Hell-"

" _Zero Gravity: Mass Reduction!"_

"Gravity brat you little-!"

I dragged a screaming Tenko along with me out the door.

 **XXX**

A few minutes later, a very grumpy Tenko was walking by my side as I skipped on the road.

The city was just as lively and bustling as ever. It was still day, but the clouds in the sky created a dark shadow, making it hard to determine the time. It was around three-thirty, the time when primary school students started going home after a long day of school. Due to that, there were students here and there, and I kept my eye out for all of them, my eyes moving keenly.

"Little piece of shit…" He muttered under his breath, pulling his hood over his head to cover his face. I just snickered and stuffed my hands into my pockets, whistling innocently, my eyes darting to my right to see a small child, which sadly, wasn't who I was looking for.

"So why the fuck did you want to come all the way here for?" Tenko asked as he shuffled around, a little uncomfortable with the huge of amounts of people. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm, guiding him through the crowd.

"I just want to spend some time with you, is it so much to ask?" I looked up, using my huge eyes to my advantage as I gave the cutest puppy dog eyes ever known to man (Bless Uraraka and her adorable face).

"Quit it with that face, I know you're planning something." Tenko flicked his finger on my forehead. I reeled from the pain and let out a small curse, huffing as I rubbed the spot.

"Fine! I didn't lie though, half of the reason was to spend time with you. The other half is a secret." I pursed my lips and avoided my eyes, scanning my surroundings. I heard a sigh above me, and suddenly, something clouded my view.

"What-" I pulled up the hood that was suddenly pulled over my head. 'What was that for?!"

"You look too suspicious, brat. Swim those eyes anymore and people will think you have eye problems." He scratched the back of his head, looking away with his lips pulled down into a frown. "…It's about that boy with you when I picked you up, right?"

I paused, startled by his sharp guess. I flipped my head to look up at him, and he scowled even further, his ears red. "You're the biggest busy-body I've ever met in my life. That much was obvious."

"I just… didn't think you'd care." I admitted, scratching my cheek sheepishly. "I mean, if you knew why tag along?"

"…" He didn't answer, but I felt something pat my head. Gentle, but unsure and a little foreign.

Just by that, I understood. I tried my best to keep my mouth from splitting into a smile that could rival a clown.

"Alright." I said simply, hiding my grin under my sleeve, covering the bottom half of my face with the brown jacket around me. "Alright."

We walked through the city together, both of our eyes peeled for the small boy with the green hair. I searched with the best of my scouting abilities, trying my best to look at every little kid my age. Tenko was quiet, but I could tell that he was trying as well. There were a few close calls, sometimes I spotted somebody with curly hair that turned out to be the wrong person, or seeing something green that was more of a shrub than a human.

Two hours passed, and I had almost given up. The students that were walking home were slowly decreasing. Before I knew it, although hard to tell since the clouds were still covering the sky, it was already the evening, and only adults and teens were left walking the streets.

"This is fucking hopeless." I groaned, leaning back on the bench at a small park we decided to stop by to rest. "It's like finding a needle in a stack of hay!"

"You're looking for a mini kid in a whole city." Tenko snorted, crossing his legs while sitting. "I'd say we just go to his school, but you don't even remember where it is, don't you?"

"I don't even know if that was his school anyway…" I grumbled, swinging my legs back and forth in irritation. "Ahh, this is so stupid."

"Idiot." Tenko yawned and slowly got up. I looked at him curiously as he pulled down his hood a little further. "I'm going to get some instant ramen. We ran out, didn't we?"

I nodded and waved after him. "Alright~ I'll be here, waiting like an idiot."

"You already are." I plugged my ears with my fingers and mock whistled, ignoring the teen's jab. He turned around and continued walking. I slowly unplugged my ears and let out another mega sigh, leaning my head back with my arms sprawled out.

A certain person entered my sight of view.

A boy, a small boy with curly green hair.

I felt my lips widen. Jackpot.

I found you, Midoriya Izuku.

I rolled over and got up immediately, preparing to approach the walking boy.

"He-"

"Deku!"

I froze.

A blond boy with spiky hair and red eyes entered the scene. A malicious smile on his face and two other boys were trailing after him.

My stomach dropped. Midoriya flinched, his head down and his pace quickening.

"Hey, don't ignore me, Deku!" A small blast was heard, and Midoriya froze, his knees shaking.

"…Y-yes, Kacchan?" A very weak voice was barely heard.

"Hey, you know what you get for ignoring me." The blonde pest slammed his fists together. "But I feel generous today, so I'll let you off."

I saw the small boy's shoulders sag in relief.

"By the way, I heard you tried to jump off the roof a few days ago huh? So you finally decided to take my advice, huh!" A boisterous laugh echoed through me.

I felt my blood freeze.

He….Did what?

"K-kacchan-"

"Serves you right, Deku. I told you if you wanted a quirk, just throw your life away and wish for better luck! But you're alive and well, huh? I guess you didn't have the guts like I though!" Bakugou Katsuki cackled, the two lackeys behind him looking on in hesitance, but none rebelled.

Midoriya's fists tightened.

I kept my head down, and walked to the nearest tree. I put all my fingers on it, and whispered in a soft voice.

" _Zero Gravity: Mass reduction."_

Midoriya didn't move, his fringe covering his eyes and his lips bitten hard enough to draw blood. Bakugou stopped laughing, this time looking irritated as Midoriya didn't do anything.

"So? Say something, quirkless Dek-"

I cleared my throat.

"Uh, excuse me, beware of the weather today. We have strong winds fueled by insane anger at an amount of 100%, but more importantly-"

And swung as hard as I could.

The tree slammed into the pavement between the two of them, making a loud crack and smacking sound. There were screams from both sides, and I didn't let that falter me as I gave a huge grin and shouted,

"LOOK OUT FOR FALLING TREES, LITTLE BITHCES!"

I could never forget the moment Midoriya looked at me with those wide eyes of his. I could never forget the face that Bakugou made when I grabbed Midoriya's hand, and sprinted out there like hell on my tails.

"SEE YA BOOM BOOM SPARKY BRAT!"

 **XXX**

"That little brat…" Tenko cursed as he scratched his neck in irritation.

In his hands was a small plastic bag, while in front of him, laid a cracked pavement with a huge uprooted tree blocking the road. Police cars and people were surrounding the scene, making noise and irritating the teen even further.

"I left her for just one moment…"

* * *

 **Sorry for being late, again!**

 **How was this week's chapter? I hope you enjoyed it! And finally, the person everyone was waiting for: Enter Midoriya Izuku! Albeit, a little unstable and possible mentally damaged somewhere, but we'll get to that point in the future.**

 **Now, I'm going to be direct, things from here might get a little sensitive for some people. As I hinted a lot in this chapter, the story arc surrounding Midoriya and Katsuki won't exactly be pleasant, and will have a lot of dark under tones. I don't have much experience with suicide so it may not seem realistic, but I'll try my best because if it's not for this story arc, a lot of things wouldn't happen in the future.**

 **Yes, Katsuki's a jerk. But he will grow. Everybody grows up, sooner or later, and in this story, his growth will differ greatly from canon. I hope you'll like the path I take this on, whether it gives you heart breaking sadness or jumpingly happy joy.**

 **See you next week!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	10. Chapter 9: Nine cracks of realization

**-"** **If you feel yourself hitting up against your limit, remember for what cause you clench your fists! Remember why you started down this path, and let that memory carry you beyond your limit." – All Might.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 9: Nine cracks of realization**

Izuku was confused. He was confused, scared, and a whole bunch of emotions were twisting and turning in his stomach that he hardly had any time to process everything.

He was running. Someone was pulling him. A mysterious stranger had appeared out of nowhere and pulled him away from the pain. A strange, weird, mysterious person who had stood up against his 'friend'.

A vision of the girl with chestnut hair and pink blush circles appeared in his mind as he stared at the brown hood covering the back of the stranger's head.

He wasn't sure. He could be delirious, but he just had a strange feeling that it was her.

They ran. They ran and ran until his lungs were burning and his legs were trembling like jelly. He panted and wheezed, wishing to stop. He tried to say something, but nothing could come out from his mouth.

He was scared, but curious.

They halted. He didn't know where they were, but he didn't have any time to acknowledge his surroundings, something that he always had a habit of doing. The sudden sprint had left him unable to do anything else. He nearly collapsed to the ground in a fit of exhaustion, but he felt arms around him, preventing his fall.

"Whoa, are you okay? I'm sorry if I pushed you too far, I just wanted to get away from that sparky as far as possible," He heard a voice. A girl. "Hey man, are you okay?"

He closed his eyes and opened them once more, looking up as heavy breaths escaped from his mouth. His green eyes met with brown ones, and the concerned face of a familiar girl entered his vision.

He was right. It _was_ her.

The first thought that had popped into his mind: _Get away from her._

His breath hitched, and he pushed her away, yanking himself apart from her body. The surprised sound she made didn't enter his ears. His blood that was pumping just now seemed frozen like ice, and he could feel the familiar emotions of fear and anxiety creep up on him. He could feel his hands trembling and her touch on his skin. He wrapped his arms around himself, shaking violently as thoughts rushed through his mind.

 _She touched me, she touched me, a person like her touched me. A warm person like her touched me, why did she, she doesn't deserve to touch me, I need to get away, I'm not worthy, I'm just a nuisance, I'm just a pain, why is she still here-go away, go away, go away._

 _Go away._

 _Run._

He jerked away as he felt her touch on his arm again. Green eyes darted up to see a troubled face and warm brown eyes looking at him. His heart jumped as his stomach twisted, and he felt his skin crawl. He felt all the color drain from his skin.

"Hey, are you okay?"

 _Go away._

He wanted to scream. He wanted to yell. He didn't know why he felt like this, but he was terrified. He was afraid of her; an unknown existence that had appeared out of nowhere, who looked at him like he was worth something. Like he was worth saving.

He was not. He wasn't worth anyone's time.

He swatted her arm away and broke into a sprint. He could hear her shout carried by the wind, but he ignored her. He only focused on his drumming heartbeat and heavy pants. His eyes darted around, scanning his surroundings. He recognized the area. This was one of the quiet areas he had sought comfort from when he was little, when he was being beaten and laughed at. That meant they were at the deserted park when they stopped.

He knew this place like the back of his hand. He maneuvered through the twists and turns, and he saw the familiar light of his home. He stopped in front of the apartment and checked his watch, his hands on his knees and he tried to steady his breathing. It was around five. His mother would be worried; he inhaled a deep breath and spent the next few minutes resting before finally calming down.

He breathed once more, and knocked on the door. "Mom? It's me, I'm home." He did his best to plaster a smile onto his face.

The door flung open, and his mother's arms embraced him. He closed his eyes, relishing the familiar warmth and smell of his loving guardian. He wrapped his arms around her in response.

"Izuku! It was getting late and I was so worried, what happened?"

He let out an airy laugh. "Sorry mom, you know how time passes when you're playing with friends!"

She separated from him and frowned, noticing the absence of his bag. "What happened to your backpack? Did you forget it at school again?"

He scratched his cheek sheepishly; conscious of the sweater that covered his arm and hoping that it wouldn't slide down to show his mother his wrist. "Yeah… Sorry."

More like Kacchan and his friends had hid it somewhere again.

She sighed and gently patted his head. "You forgetful boy. Be more careful next time, okay? Come on in, I made your favorite for dinner!"

He made his eyes brighten up, and his lips curl into a smile. _How fake it is._ "Thank you! I love you!"

She smiled back him. "I love you too."

At least that wasn't a lie.

As he took off his shoes and headed to the bathroom to wash his hands, he couldn't erase the picture of the strange girl's concerned eyes staring at him. He felt his breath hitch, but he gripped his neck to reassure himself.

What was he thinking? Just forget about her, it wasn't like he was going to see her again anyways, he reasoned with himself, his grip tightening. His eyes flashed to his revealed skin, and darkened when they made contact with the bruises and cuts.

 _Besides, no one could help him._ A dark voice echoed in his mind. _Not when he was so far gone. Why worry?_

 **XXX**

I was left open mouthed as I continued staring in the direction that Midoriya had ran off.

My hand was stretched forward in mid air. I looked like a complete idiot.

I blinked and slowly retracted my hand, bringing it up to my face and sniffing it. No, it didn't smell bad…

So I didn't stink. I wondered why he ran off like that all of a sudden.

He looked so frightened. His huge eyes were filled with fear and a deep unknown emotion I couldn't understand. He seemed so hurt, and…pitiful. My heart clenched, and I bit my lip, drawing my fist to my chest.

Since when did he start to look like that? Since when did he lose that sparkle of light in his eyes?

Was it because of Bakugou? Was it this unforgivable society that threw people like him away? Why?

I didn't want to see him like that. I never wanted him to become like that.

I felt a something wet drop onto my nose. I sniffed and looked up, squinting at the cloudy sky. It was dark and dreary, and before soon, small drops of water were falling from the limitless gray that spread out before me.

It was raining. I let out a sigh again. I turned on my heels and ran, heading for the nearest place I could find shelter from.

All the buildings around me were houses and apartments, another residential area, so I had to run for a while. The rain was gradually getting stronger, but I was not willing to be stuck in bed again, so I continued my quest to find a dry place as quickly as possible.

I rounded a corner, and found a small shop with a roof outside. I let out a breath of relief, and headed under the small space of comfort. It was still kind of cold, so I was extremely glad for the jacket that Tenko had tossed me before departing from our home.

I peeked through the glass window of the quaint shop. It seemed to be a small café, why was it in such a place I had no idea, but it looked cozy and warm, and I desperately wanted to enter. Alas, I had no money on me, so I couldn't buy that tasty looking, warm and chocolaty cup of hot coco-

"Oh? What is a small girl like you doing here?" A warm, but booming voice made my ears perk up and my body stiffening. I slowly turned around, ready to kick and activate my quirk, until I saw a very tall, very muscular man with his blonde hair peeking out from under his hat and blue eyes hidden deep in darkness.

Then I realized that this ridiculously huge man was All Might, and I nearly fell onto my butt.

"A-ALL MI-MMRGH!"

"Ssh! Quiet please, I don't want to attract attention." All Might- no, Yagi Toshinori covered my mouth with a big hand, holding his other finger to his mouth in a 'ssh' motion. I nodded slowly, and he smiled, taking his hand off my mouth.

"Thank you, young Uraraka." I perked up after hearing my name.

"You remember me?" I pointed at myself in disbelief. "How? You literally save hundreds of people a day! How would you remember some little girl?"

Yagi let out a quiet laugh, but I could still hear the booming tremor in his voice. "I wonder why? Your introduction was quite…memorable, after all. You're also a very spirited young girl, I never expected someone like you to hold off those villains before I arrived."

I quirked my eyebrow. "I'm glad to be of service."

He let out another laugh, and he squatted down to my height. The rain slipping off the small roof over the café was dripping onto his back because of his physique, but he didn't seem to mind. "May I ask again? I've heard a storm is going to strike the Kanto region tonight, so I must tell you that it is not safe to be out today."

I shrugged my shoulders, stuffing my hands into my pockets and shifted from side to side. "Well, a lot of stuff is going on and I didn't know what to do. I might as well take a walk. I didn't plan to go too far."

Yagi furrowed his eyebrows. "If I recall, the shopping district I met you in is in the opposite direction of we are. I suppose your house is that way too?"

"…Well." I scratched my head and let out a sheepish laugh.

I had thought that he was going to scold me, but he just let out a laugh and ruffled my hair. I yelped a little as his hand messed up my hair, shaking me slightly from side to side. "Hahaha! It's good to be adventurous and active, but check the weather before you decide to take a walk! You never know what's going to happen, young Uraraka."

I pouted. "…Ok, All Might."

He sent me a warm smile before standing up, looming over me once more. "All right then. I shall take responsibility and bring you home." He turned his back to me and squatted once more, gesturing to his back. "Hop on."

I tilted my head but followed his lead. I climbed up onto the back that was more than two times bigger than father's, and slipped my arms around his neck. Unfortunately, his neck was too thick for me to completely do that, so I just settled on gripping onto his shoulders.

"Young Uraraka."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever flown before?" Yagi sent me a pearly white smile, and before I could answer-

We took off.

Now to be honest, I did float myself sometimes, so I knew what it was like to be suspended in mid-air. The thing was that I couldn't control my actions very well, so most of the time I just end up floating in a direction that I didn't plan to.

This? Kicking the ground hard enough to form a crater, jumping into the air with a speed that could rival a jet, and soaring through the skies?

This was unlike anything I've ever felt before. This was AWESOME.

"WOOOO YEAAAAHHH!" I screamed in delight as we dashed through the air. The rain that was falling seemed to have disappeared, and it took me a few minutes to realize that the rain had let up. The wind was raking my hair and face, the chill sending goose bumps everywhere, and pure feeling of being free and untamed took control of me. I wished that this moment would last forever; it seemed like all my worries and fears melted away the moment we came in contact with the gray skies.

"Young Uraraka! Where is your home?" Yagi shouted over the bustling wind, and I forced myself to open my eyes and look down. I felt my face being pulled due to the force, but it wasn't painful. It just made it a little harder to see and control my face muscles.

"Uuuh-" I searched as hard as I could until I spotted a familiar roof. I shakily pointed a finger. "There! Most probably! Sixty percent!"

I heard another booming laugh. "Alright then! Hold on tight!"

I gripped onto his shoulders even tighter and closed my eyes. I felt the wind howling in my ear, and the faint, yet familiar feeling of descending, albeit at a faster rate. Before I knew it, a loud thud hit the ground, sending vibrations all over my body, and when I opened my eyes, we were right in front of my house.

"…Woooaaaaaah." I said in awe as Yagi let me slowly slip off his shoulders. I turned around and looked at the tall man with stars practically shining in my eyes.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" I cheered in glee, waving my hands up and down. "Do you- like, do that every day?!"

Yagi grinned, his teeth nearly blinding me to death. "Hahaha! Young Uraraka, this is my usual form of transportation! Much easier than taking the bus during rush hours!"

"Coooool…" I gaped, feeling my heart thud rapidly in my chest. The rush of adrenaline was still in my body, and I couldn't forget the feeling of freedom that small flight had granted me.

"If I ever see you again, can we do that once more? Pleeaaaase." I pleaded, clasping my hands together in a praying fashion and did my best puppy dog eyes.

Yagi squatted down and ruffled my hair once more. "Of course. Unless the next time we meet is when I'm on a mission, of course I will." His deep blue eyes softened, and it might have been my imagination, but I saw a small flash of nostalgia and loneliness in them.

I paused. The rush of adrenaline was beginning to fade away, and a small hollow was starting to form in my chest. Was it because of the flight or something else, I wasn't sure, but I felt a small voice of worry in the back of head nipping at me when I saw those eyes.

"Well, I must get going." Yagi stood up and sent me another smile while saluting. "It has been nice meeting with you again, young Uraraka."

The feeling of worry of hit me again. I was nine. Canon started at around mid fourteen to fifteen. I felt a cold rush run down my spine, and before I knew it, I ran up to him.

"All Might, wait." I gripped the edge of his sweater.

"...Young Uraraka?" He looked at me with questioning eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, but never losing his smile. "Is anything wrong?"

"…" I let out a deep breath and looked up, my brown eyes meeting with his. He seemed to falter a bit, but I bit my lip and the words spilled from my lips.

"Be careful. Soon, you're going to face against a very strong enemy, maybe he's even stronger than you." I pleaded, my fists tightening, and voice getting desperate. I knew I shouldn't have told him that, I knew. But I couldn't let him go without doing something. Something, maybe I could prevent that incident, his scar, his _sorrow._

"I…I don't want to see you like that." My mind flashed back to the times when I saw the thin, harrowingly scarred figure of Yagi Toshinori behind the screens. The times when he would look so sad and lonely, but putting on a brave face to everyone.

"Even if you have to abandon someone, even if others get hurt, _please_." I looked down at the end, my voice getting thinner and narrower, and I felt something warm threatening to pour out of my eyes.

"You're only human in the end."

There was a long, deafening silence. It was pressuring and scary, and I could hear my heart thundering in my chest. I was thinking of letting go and running into my house like a coward, when at the last minute I felt another pressure on top of my head.

"Young Uraraka." His voice was soft, caring, and warm. His touch was gentle, ruffling the streaks of brown in his hand. "Look up."

I obeyed honestly, my head slowly moving up with my eyebrows furrowed and lips trembling. I felt a small pressure hit the space between my two brows, and I flinched in pain.

"Ow!"

"Hahaha! Don't look like that." Yagi's laugh was warm and inviting, and made me feel a little more reassured despite what had happened. He stopped his laugh and looked down, and this time, I couldn't move.

He looked so…so…

"I may be a human just as much as you are," He started out, his smile fading slightly. "In the end, I'm no different from all of you. I can age and die, I can get weaker, and I could get killed on a mission. But that is what all heroes are prepared for the moment they get their license, young one. If I were to get hurt, or killed while protecting somebody, that I shall accept that fate as it is my desire. To live while letting hundreds die or die while protecting thousands, I am a hero, and I will do what I deem is right."

He looked like a _hero_ , so heartbreakingly so. He looked like someone so far away, he wasn't Yagi Toshinori anymore, he was _All Might_. The number one hero, the Symbol of Peace.

Someone that I couldn't save.

"I will be careful. If the person you talk of really is as strong as I am, I have no guarantee that I will come out unscathed, but I will defeat that person with all of my power. You can count on me." His trademark smile shone brightly.

"I will keep all of you safe, as it is my duty to the people."

I felt my grip slip as he saluted me once more and disappeared, only leaving a huge crater behind, one on the ground, and one in my chest.

I shook my head, and made my way to the door. Left with a feeling of hollowness, my mind was blank as I pushed the doorbell, making a small ring throughout the house.

The door opened with a click and I looked up, mustering the best smile I could. "Hi, I'm ba-"

I felt my breath being punched out of me.

"GAAAHHH!"

"You damn idiot. What the hell did you say back then, huh? You said 'I'll be here', didn't you? Well? What the hell was the deal with the uprooted tree in the middle of the fucking road?"

" _Ah, Tenko…I think you should calm down a little…"_

" _Hana, let them have some bonding time. You know a few sibling fights can't hurt."_

"W-w-well…I kind of have short term memory loss, so…"

"No more Oreos for a week, damn brat."

"WHAT?!"

 **XXX**

The doorbell rang, and I ran to it and flung it open in a flurry, my eyes practically sparkling.

"Shouto! I missed you!" I wailed and wrapped my arms around him. "It's been so long!"

"It's just been two days." The boy with half white hair remarked, patting my head and pulling myself away from him. He raised his hand to show the plastic bag he had in it. "I brought the Oreos you wanted."

"Shitty brat, the hell are you shouting about?" The grumpy teen yawned, leaving the kitchen to enter the entryway. His red eyes narrowed a little when he saw Shouto, but soon, recognition flooded into them.

"You're the half and half brat she talks about."

Shouto tilted his head slightly in a casual bow. "And you're the grumpy teen she whines about."

Tenko shot me a glare and I stuck my tongue out and retorted. "Admit it, you're a package of unstable hormones."

"The both of you are cheeky brats." Tenko muttered under his breath. He turned on his heel and stalked away. "Call me when you're both done playing tea party."

I pulled down my eye lid and faced Shouto once more. "See?"

"Yeah, you're made for each other." Shouto snickered slightly, and I smacked his shoulder, pouting jokingly.

"Ok, so come on up, you've got to tell me what you've been up to. How's your training?" I asked him as he took off his shoes and we made our way towards the staircase, up into my room.

Shouto pursed his lips. "Not progressing enough. It's taking a really long time for me to control those hell flames."

I opened the door to my abode and he slid in, making a small poof as he sat on my bed instinctively. I waggled my finger at him. "You're too much of an overachiever. Dude, you already know those flames are harder to control than your normal ones, and you haven't been using your fire side for what, a year?"

"About so." He nodded and I fished out the pack of Oreos from the plastic bag he brought, opening them and taking out a biscuit of chocolaty goodness. He took a piece from the pack as well, munching on it.

"Yeah see? It takes time for quirks, you know that. I'm still not that good with mine." I flexed my fingers, staring at the small pink pads on my fingers.

Shouto gave me a confused look. I decided to explain further. "See, I had an idea that if I could nullify gravity, maybe I could nullify the amount of gravity I wanted on an object, like my mass reduction. I also wondered if I could increase mass, not just decrease, but I'm not really sure about that too. I think I can adjust the amount of mass I want to reduce, but I don't have a good grasp of that yet. I know I can reduce mass and nullify gravity separately, but that's all I got. I'm experimenting here and there. I still puke and get nauseous when I go overboard too."

Shouto made a noise of understanding. "All right. It seems that you understand your quirk better than I do though."

I rolled my eyes and punched his shoulder again. "Yours is more awesome than mine! I wish I could squirt fire from my fingers. That reminds me, can you use your orange flames again?"

Shouto finished his second Oreo, and held up his hand silently. It wasn't long before a small blast of blue fire appeared (It nearly singed my eyebrows off) but it flickered and gradually turned orange. My eyes widened and I let out an impressed whistle at the sight. The flame wasn't as scorching, it was warm and friendly.

Shouto dispelled the fire, and I grinned at him, tossing a third Oreo his way. "Dude! You did it!"

He caught the snack effortlessly with one hand. Show off. "Yeah, it took me a while, but I somewhat got the hang of it. It takes a lot more effort than usual though, so I'm still kind of tired out." A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He wiped it off with his sleeve and bit down on the biscuit.

I hummed in thought. "Hmm. Well it doesn't change the fact that you improved after a short period of time. I think you're doing fine."

He let out a small laugh and I followed. "Thanks Ochako."

I formed a lopsided smile. "Not a problem. So… Jenga battle?"

A silent smirk crawled up Shouto's face. "Jenga battle."

It was tough and grueling battle indeed. We spent the next few hours poking and prodding at a ridiculously balanced tower of wood ("You…YOU-!" "It's not cheating. I took the bottom one fair and square Ochako.") and when we got bored, we moved onto charads, _shiritori, ayatori,_ and all the games that you could do without any devices. Well, we didn't exactly have much money, so I never begged my parents for a game device of any sort. Never less, it was still fun and extremely fulfilling. The sun went down a lot sooner than we had expected so when mother and father came back from work, Shouto decided to stay and have dinner with us before going home.

"Thank you very much for the meal. It was delicious." Shouto bowed to mother and she waved it off with a smile.

"No need to be so polite, Shouto! I'm glad you enjoyed the soba I made."

Shouto's eyes sparkled. "Your soba is always the best, Hana-san."

Mother laughed happily and Father ruffled Shouto's head. "Alright then, why don't I take you home? It's not safe at this time of the evening."

Shouto shook his head. "It's no problem Yuji-san. My house isn't too far away."

"I could take him home!" I chirped, raising my hand. "Tenko can come with!"

The skinny teen bonked me on the head. "No I won't."

"Ow!"

"Tenko, can we count on you?" Father sent a warm smile at the frowning Tenko, who was currently struggling between pinching me and listening to him. "It's dangerous enough alone, but leaving Ochako to come back herself is even more dangerous."

"Hey!"

"You always get in some sort of trouble, it's no surprise." Shouto muttered under his breath and I pinched his cheeks and pulled.

"Oow!"

"Tis not true!"

"Ith tfoo!" He retorted, grabbing my arms and pulling them away from his red cheeks. He let go of me and rubbed them, a small frown on his lips.

Tenko bit his lip before letting out a sigh. "Just a minute. I'll go get my jacket."

"I still think I'm fine alone…" I pouted, crossing my arms. Mother shook her head and reprimanded me.

"You came home covered in blood one day. I can't trust that you won't bring back a corpse next time."

"Mamaaaa…." I whined. Father laughed and Shouto smirked, both of them laughing at my childish endeavor.

After Tenko came back with his edgy jacket, mother and father sent us off with a smile on their faces. The three of us were left walking in the quiet roads, with only our heels dragging onto the cement surface as noise. The chilly air of the June night made my skin carry goose bumps, but the brown jacket I had around me served as a barrier against the cold.

"So…" I started, shoving my hands into my pocket. "Cold night, huh?"

"Yeah." Shouto answered. "I'm warm though."

"That's because you're a walking heater." I reached out to take his open hand, and I wrapped my fingers around it. Like I predicted, he was warm, so comfortingly so. He squeezed his hand in response, and I adjusted my position a bit, my hand fitting into his snugly.

"Geez, I wish I had a portable heater in me."

"If it's you, you're going to burn the entire house every time you turn it on." Tenko remarked, his hood over his head. I rolled my eyes and reached out to grab his wrist next. He flinched a little at the contact, still not very used to it, but didn't say anything and kept his hand loosely suspended in the air.

We walked like that for a bit, before Shouto opened his mouth again. "Ochako. Did anything happen this week?"

I stiffened, my hands tightening for a second. I was sure the both of them noticed. I pursed my lips, flashbacks of the green haired boy invading my mind, but before I could reply, Tenko replied for me.

"She met with that green haired brat again."

My eyes widened and I flipped my head to look up at him. He didn't stop, and continued talking.

"Said that he's in trouble. Said he needs help."

I bit my lip and looked down. "Well… he does. He, he looked so…scared and lonely. I…I want to help."

Shouto was quiet for a second, before he spoke up. "Do you know what to do?"

I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I don't even know the reason why he ran away from me when I dragged him away from his bullies."

Tenko snorted. "Maybe you look more terrifying to him."

I glared jokingly at the teen and he pushed my head down with his other hand, his index finger raised in the air. Shouto stifled a small laugh and disguised it as a poorly emitted cough.

"Well, are you going to meet him?"

I growled, shaking off Tenko's hand and nodding at the boy next to me. "Definitely. I can't leave things like this."

Tenko rolled his eyes, his other hand stuffed in his other pocket casually. "You do know that it is a way too, right?"

Shouto shrugged and let out a small sigh of exasperation. "That's how she is. Such a busybody."

"Tell me about it."

"If it wasn't for this busybody both of you wouldn't be here in the first place."

We continued walking until finally, we reached the familiar Japanese gates of Shouto's home. I let go of his hand reluctantly, a pang of sadness hitting my heart. Shouto laughed softly at my expression and patted my head, a warm fire flickering in his eyes.

"I'll come over again. I can't leave you alone, someone's life might be in jeopardy." He teased and I swatted his hand away playfully.

"Shut up. I'll tell you if anything's happened."

"Call me when you're in the middle of it. After is always too late." Shouto said lowly, his voice and eyes taking on a more serious tone. His voice was still kind of high, but it had that small hint of crackly deepness that reminded me of his voice during high school. It was pretty funny when he raised it, but I was starting to see glimpses of his older self more recently. He was growing, and he was looking more like his mother every time, I swore.

I let slip a small smile in return. Tenko was silent, before his smooth voice ran over us. "If she doesn't contact you, I will. Having another brat running my errands is always easier."

Shouto looked surprised, his mouth opening a bit, but he closed it and nodded firmly. He held out a hand to the older guy, and he reciprocated with his pinkie touching the air, both of them shaking hands like they were forming an alliance. I had no idea whether to feel happy or insulted, but I felt conflicted for sure. I wrote the number of Shouto's house phone on a sticky note and stuck it near the phone, so if Tenko wanted to contact my best friend, he certainly could.

As we bid Shouto goodbye and he smiled at us before disappearing behind the wooden walls, I pondered out loud during our walk back home.

"You two sure get along fine."

Tenko shrugged, his right wrist firmly grasped in my hand. "Don't assume. We just met. I might grow to hate that brat for all I know."

I puffed out a warm breath. "Antisocial. Come to think of it, how old are you again?"

His red eyes glanced at briefly. "Seventeen."

My eyebrows rose slightly. "I've actually been thinking, but what about school?"

He averted his eyes, a small click of his tongue briefly entering my ears. "…What about it?"

"I mean, don't you have to finish your education? I know I never said anything about it until now, but I had somewhat thought that it was sort of a taboo subject. Was it?" I asked quickly, my curious eyes darting up to search his face. His expression was blank, but it wasn't cold. More like he was thinking of what to say to me.

"…I was planning on working. I finished junior high, so getting a job shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"But most of them are going to be part-time, right? What are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure." He confessed irritatingly, his other hand reaching up to his neck, before pausing and going up to ruffle his hair in aggravation. "I don't have anything I want to do yet."

Well, it made sense. He just finished getting over a major injury, from both his body and heart (Actually, I think he still had some unfixed wounds in his heart), and I'm not sure if he managed to completely get out of his distrust in heroes. Hell, maybe it won't ever disappear, and he might hate heroes for his entire life.

Come to think of it, what was I going to do? Follow canon and go to U.A.? That was probably the best way to go if I wanted to meet _them_. I could go out of my way and meet them sooner, but I seriously had no idea of where they lived.

Was there any other way? Do I really have to wait for six straight years? I was feeling a little restless, but then, memories of frightened eyes calmed me down. I shook my head internally.

What was I thinking? I berated myself. I had to focus, he was more important than anything right now. The future could wait.

"Alright then." I lowered my gaze and looked straight forward. "I won't ask anymore. I hope you find what you want though."

Tenko was silent the rest of the walk, or so I thought he would be when he spoke up five minutes later.

"Ochako."

He stopped all of a sudden, and I let go of his wrist in surprise. I turned back, my head tilted in questioning.

"Yeah?"

The chill breeze blew, ruffling my hair and his. His pale white skin was still as white as ever, and his shoulder length blueish gray hair parted slightly, revealing his deep red eyes to me. A small part of me thought of taking him to the barber's to get his hair cut, the big part of me was frozen to the spot, his eyes having some sort of magical effect on me. It felt as if I couldn't move, and I was trapped in a prison of ice.

I swallowed slightly, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

The spell finally broke when he averted his eyes. "Nothing." He stalked right beside me and grabbed my hand (of course without all fingers touching) pulling me through the night.

I protested at his rough, but somehow gentle enough not to hurt me, grip, but I didn't miss the way he unconsciously scratched at his neck.

He was thinking about something, something bad, and I had a feeling that it involved me.

 **XXX**

I fiddled with the bonnie rabbit Tenko had made for me.

It was a Friday. A peaceful day without any troubles, whatsoever. Tenko was busy doing something in the storage room which officially became his room, and mom and dad were out, working. Why wasn't I at school on a Friday? Simple, it was the anniversary of the start of my school, the school's birthday, meaning a holiday for all the students.

And I was bored out of my crappy mind.

No more cold, no more homework and cloudier, cloudier skies. No Shouto to play with (Only an irritated pubescent) and since I didn't have any friends, bonnie rabbit was the only one left.

"Bonnie rabbit, I'm bored." I complained, squeezing it and rocking back forth on my bed. I looked down on the plush toy and moved its head, making a fake voice.

"'Hmm? Ok, why don't we go out to the city and continue our search?'"

A grin split itself onto my face and I bounded up, putting the rabbit on my bed. "Good idea bonnie! Let's go find the school that I have no idea where it could possibly be!"

I switched to the bonnie voice and started pacing around. "'You could always search it up on Google!'"

I went back to normal. "That is a good idea! Let's go ask Tenko, who's in his dark hermit shell room, for the only computer in the house! That surely won't irritate him!"

I let out an exasperated sigh. To be honest, irritating Tenko wasn't my problem; the problem was that he might stop me from going to find Midoriya, or possibly tag along, which I really didn't want him to. I wanted to talk to Midoriya alone and I had a feeling that it would be awkward if a teen with glaring red eyes was hovering above us the entire time.

Letting out another sigh and summoning my resolve, I exited my room and hesitantly moved to Tenko's. I raised my fist and knocked on the door, clearing my throat and speaking in a clear voice,

"Hey, Tenko? Can I, uh, use the computer?"

The response was immediate, although a little muffled because of the door between us. "What for?"

I laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. "Well, I was thinking of… you know…"

I trailed off as I heard footsteps, and a click. The door swung open to reveal the blood eyed teen, with his narrowed eyes and suspicious frown. He crossed his arms and looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh-huh."

I gave him the brightest smile I had.

He let out a sigh and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "You're up to no good again, aren't you?"

"Well, I was thinking of googling the place of the kid's school…"

"I thought you didn't know it?"

"I don't know if that's his school or not, but I met him there! It's worth a try! So pleeaasse!" I whined, stretching out the 'please' for as long as possible. He clicked his tongue, his eyes narrowing even more and his posture becoming stiffer. He eventually went back into his room and came back with the computer, cables messed up and everything. He shoved it into my hands, and I stumbled, taking it in surprise.

"...I know it's useless to stop you, but don't overdo it. I'm not picking up your sorry ass in the rain again. Give me back the thing when you're done."

The door was slammed in the face as I stood there with an open mouth and widened eyes.

…Well, who would've known?

 **XXX**

After Tenko heard her voice saying "I'm off!" and the sound of the front door closing, he opened his door and stepped outside of his room. As he had expected, she didn't bring the computer back, instead leaving it on the dining table with the switch still on. He glanced at the coat rack to confirm that her jacket was indeed gone, and headed to the phone.

He saw the bright pink note stuck against the table that the phone was on, and picked the white device up, entering the numbers written on the note.

He heard a few rings before a click, signifying that someone had picked up. _"Hello? This is the Todoroki Residence, how may I help you?"_

It was an elderly voice. Tenko guessed that it was the half and half brat's grandmother, Ochako had told him about his family before. He cleared his voice and attempted to sound more polite than he usually was.

"This is…Shimura Tenko. A…friend, of Uraraka Ochako. Can I speak to Todoroki Shouto?"

He never wanted to say those words again. It felt like spitting out glass.

 **XXX**

"Alright, now, time to wait out here like an idiot," I muttered to myself, hood over my head and palms rubbing against each other in an attempt to get some heat. "Totally unsuspicious."

I attempted to ignore the whispers and glances the small children of my age or less sent me while they were walking by.

"Hey, who's that girl?"

"She looks weird."

"Maybe she's a trespasser! Should we call the teacher?"

"She's just… standing there. Glaring at us…eep!" I shot the one next to me a glare that sent him bumbling over his words and scurrying off like a mouse, along with his three friends.

I let out a sigh and pursed my lips. Standing here waiting to ambush Midoriya might not have been a good idea. I decided to ask around, maybe there was somebody who knew him.

I tapped the shoulder of a girl who was the same height as me. "Hey."

She jolted and turned around, her eyes widening in surprise, but a smile spread across her face. "Hi! Nice to meet you! Are you a transfer student? You look unfamiliar!"

I shook my head, slightly relieved that this girl didn't seem like a bad person. My eyes went to her name tag, which read 'Uno Ruka', a third grader. So she was younger than me, huh. "No, I'm looking for someone. Do you know of a boy with really," I made a motion above my head to emphasize curly hair. "Curly green hair and big green eyes?" I cupped my eyes this time to make another motion.

She tilted her head, seeming to think for a second, before all traces of the smile vanished. "Ahh…Are you talking about Midoriya?"

I tilted my head, faking ignorance. "I don't know his name, but that must be it."

She looked uneasy now, her eyebrows furrowing. "Alright… He's probably behind the gym."

I nodded, her expression planting a seed of worry in me. Why did she make that kind of face when all I did was mentioning Midoriya? Something… didn't feel right.

"Thanks. See ya." I turned around and attempted to leave, before a hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder.

"Wait!" I was surprised, and turned my head back to meet her eyes. She looked conflicted somehow, her eyes were carrying a strange emotion and her grip was tight on my shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Why…Why are you looking for… _Midoriya_?" She bit her lip, waiting for my answer. I narrowed my eyes.

"I just need to talk to him. Why, does that bother you?" I held my tongue from snapping. Something about that question rubbed me the wrong way.

She let go of me, taking note of the semi glare my face was morphing into. "It's just… He doesn't have any friends. He's a _quirkless_."

I felt a vein throb. "So?"

She looked even more uneasy, backing away slightly. "I…I just find it odd that someone would come looking for him…"

I snapped my head forward and trod off, not bothering to listen to her anymore. This time she didn't chase me, but I couldn't shake the feeling that her eyes were following me.

 _A quirkless._ She said as if that was a different kind of species, as if he wasn't one of them. If she thought of him like that, I wondered how many people were like her. A lot, I presumed, and she was a grade below Midoriya. How many people in this school knew of him? It was rare that anyone would know others of another grade in primary school, since there wasn't really a senior-junior relationship yet.

I had a feeling that this wasn't even the topping of the cake yet.

I searched for the gym, and it wasn't hard. It had a distinctive design, and I could hear the squeaks of shoes on the waxed wooden floor.

"Now, she said behind the gym… But where the hell is behind… Why the hell is he here in the first place…" I let out a mutter, a small feeling of anxiety growing in me.

Behind the gym… No way, no, no, no, that was too cliché, even Bakugou wouldn't-

"Hahaha! You're pathetic, aren't ya, _Deku_?!"

They were there, alright. Midoriya was kneeling on the ground, his sweater tattered and pants torn, a huge hole open at the knee, with his hair pulled back by Bakugou so that he was facing upwards. His face had scratches all over, and he was biting his lips so hard that blood was beginning to trickle out of his mouth. His eyes were narrowed and he was shaking like a leaf. His mud caked arms and legs were limp, as if he had given up on resisting and submitted to the beating.

Bakugou was alone this time, without his two lackeys. He had a demonic grin on his face, his eyes almost seeming mad with power. The other hand that wasn't holding onto Midoriya's hair was sparking, and my eyes zeroed on a burn on Midoriya's collar bone. Beside them were two backpacks, both thrown carelessly onto the ground. One was battered and seemed burnt and wet, the clasp loose so notebooks and textbooks were spilling out of it. The other one was dirty, but it wasn't in as bad shape as the other.

"Seems like you couldn't get away today, did you?" Bakugou growled, his grin widening. "Too bad."

Midoriya didn't reply, he just closed his eyes, his expression tightening in a terrified wince, as if he was preparing for another blast to his face.

I was frozen to my spot for a moment. All I could do was stare.

This… this was not right. This was not fair. This… this wasn't just bullying. It was downright violence, abuse. I knew Bakugou was a horrible child, but how could he do all of this? Was he just that heartless?

This guy wanted to be a hero?

I remembered All Might, how he smiled and reassured me, how warm his smile was. How selfless and brave, how just much of a _hero_ he was. This one in front of me was nowhere All Might was.

He was a monster.

My feet moved automatically. It was as if my brain had shut down and my body was moving on its own.

This, this is going to be a hero? This vile beast, who cared for no one, for nothing but his selfish desires and pride while the pure hearted, selfless little boy couldn't?

Fuck the world. Fuck the world and its stupid logic.

I squeezed my hand and gripped the blonde boy's shoulder tightly. "Hey, there."

I wasn't having any of that. Not while I was still living.

I placed a strained, fake smile on my twitching face muscles, my eyes closed the entire time. "Looks awfully fun, what you're doing."

Bakugou jolted at my sudden touch, shaking my hand off and letting go of Midoriya. Midoriya fell to the ground in a muffled wince, and Bakugou stumbled over his feet, his eyes widening in surprise and a snarl gracing his lips as he turned around to face me.

"The hell?! Who the-" Recognition flooded into his eyes as my smile slowly melted off, and my brown eyes slowly opened to meet red ones. I tiled my head and let out a poisonous snarl.

"Heeey there, remember me? The one who nearly slammed a tree in your face? Yeah, I can't believe I missed that shot." My eyes darkened considerably.

Bakugou snarled. His expression looked angrier, more livid and furious compared to before. He completely lost that demonic smile, instead a fire burned in his eyes. "You-you're that fucking-"

I snapped. "Stop swearing, fuckface. You're just a fucking kid."

"You're a kid too!"

I glanced behind him. Midoriya was slowly pushing himself up, his eyes open and looking at the scene occurring in front of him. His shocked green eyes met with mine, and I thought I saw a flash of something reflecting in them.

I returned my gaze to the now sparking Bakugou. "So, is it fun, picking on people weaker than you?"

He growled, his teeth grinding. "None of your business!"

I cracked my neck and squatted, stretching my legs. "You wanna be a hero, I assume? Flashy quirk and all that shit, eh?" I got up and started to advance, coming up face to face with the blonde boy. His expression changed into one of confusion and uneasiness from being in close proximity with someone who didn't seem afraid of him, I figured. Judging from his expression, no one had stood up to him before, and I was probably the first.

I felt something black churn in me. What the hell were the adults doing, letting a kid like him roam free without a collar on?

I took off my hood, my face now fully revealed to both of the boys.

"I have a piece of advice for you." I started, putting power into my legs and shifting them until they were about shoulder wide. His eyes widened as he saw my stance change, but he was too late.

I swung my leg as hard as I could. My leg shot upwards and skyrocketed, making contact with the jaw of my target. A loud, satisfying crack echoed through the barren space, and I heard a sharp intake of breath before a pained scream followed.

Bakugou fell to the ground, his hand covering his mouth and jaw. His eyes were closed in pain, and he was making sounds of huge distress while tears threatened to fall. I put my outstretched leg back to the ground and let out a roar,

"I SUGGEST A CHANGE OF AMBITION, YA RATCHET!"

I immediately swooped down and grabbed Midoriya's arm, hoisting him up. I let out a small whisper to the shocked boy. "Can you run?"

He blinked so many times like a deer caught in headlights. I figured that he was too shell-shocked to answer, so I took that as a no. I quickly activated my quirk on him, muttering out the words softly before scooping him up, bridal style.

He looked even more shocked, his face taking on an expression I had never seen before. I almost laughed out loud. At least he wasn't making _that_ face anymore.

"Hang on tight! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention!" I turned back before I ran off, looking back at the blonde who was squirming on the ground. I sucked in a deep breath and hollered at the top of my lungs,

"MY NAME IS URARAKA OCHAKO! AND I'M THE MOST FANTASTICALLY AWESOME GIRL IN THE UNIVERSE, BITCH!"

I took off, kicking the ground as hard as I could, and never looked back.

* * *

… **Hello. (Waves timidly)**

 **I am so sorry for being so late… I had exams and I really wanted to study this time, so…I'M SORRY! If I could show you, I'd be doing a dogeza right now.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ochako is as badass as ever, Tenko is such a sweet Tsundere, Shouto is best friend as usual, and Katsuki pisses me off while Izuku hurts my heart. Lovely!**

 **Thank you for all the favorites and follows! I never thought I would get this many, and I'm so surprised at all the positive reviews too! I love all of my readers….**

 **Reply to a few questions and so:**

 _ **TheYinYang**_ **: I'm glad you loved the last chapter! Yes, I want her to beat the crap out of him too, he fucking deserves it. I have a lot planning for the two so look forward to that ;)**

 _ **CrazyQuilava**_ : **Thank you! Beware; there will be more heartbreaking shit in the next haha.**

 _ **torinokomachi**_ **: Yeah, Japan society is kind of fucked up in that way… I'm glad you think it's realistic though. I hope you'll love the next chapter!**

 _ **ngocthyv**_ **: Thank you so much for always reviewing! There will be more Deku and Kacchan in the future, so look forward to it!**

 _ **Hurricane.'97**_ **: Mwahaha! I fooled you! I like to read stories about Izuku becoming the villain, but I feel like doing that would make it kind of cliché. This evil writer is planning much more stuff than that.**

 _ **Spectragirl**_ **: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this one!**

 _ **Aiyaki**_ **: Thanks! I will try my best to keep this going, haha.**

 **Well, next one is the special TENTH CHAPTER! Yay, I never made it that far in all of my stories. I now know how much I love this manga.**

 **See you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**

 ***Tibit: Ratchet - "A diva, mostly from urban cities and ghettos, who has reason to believe she is every man's eye candy. Unfortunately, she's wrong."***


	11. Chapter 10: One Re:Start

**-"Stop thinking you can't, start thinking you can. Failing is a part of success, so don't stop trying."- One Midoriya Izuku.**

 **-"I wish I could, but I can't. Failure has been my life, and I'm so, so tired."- A hurt boy who once dreamed.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 10: One Re: Start**

Midoriya was still in my arms as I ran.

The clouds rumbled overhead, a flash entering my sight of view. I huffed and tried to push my legs harder, faster. The sky was rumbling again, and I could smell the scent of rain in the air.

How much longer did I have to bear with this bad weather? I wanted some sunshine and daises, not wet and having sticky boy in my arms! At this point, I was seriously wondering if Midoriya was a rain man. Every time I met him the sky seemed to be a dark grey.

The first few raindrops were dropping on my nose. I shook my head and frantically looked around for shelter. I was so distracted, I didn't notice that Midoriya had snapped out of his shock and was struggling in my arms until I felt something hit my face.

"What the-!" I cursed and looked down to meet the widened eyes of the green haired boy. Trying to keep a calm voice, I asked him.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"L-l-let go of me!" He started to shake his arms and move his legs in an attempt to make me loosen my grip. "S-stop touching me!"

What the hell was this piece of bramble talking about?

I had half a mind to continue dragging him as it was starting to rain buckets, but I didn't want to scare him anymore than I did.

I let out a sigh and stopped abruptly. I heard a sharp intake of breath at my sudden action, and loosened my grip. I looked down on him, his trembling lips and eyes almost making me shout out in frustration.

"…What are you waiting for?" I asked him, trying my best to keep my emotions at bay. "Not that I don't like carrying you, this being the second time and all."

Realization flooded into his eyes as he suddenly scrambled to get away from me. As he steadied himself on the ground, I shook off my jacket and draped it around his shoulders, but not before getting a jerk from said part of body.

"Easy there." I kept my voice soft and as gentle as possible, but loud enough so he could hear me over the rain pelting on the roofs of the houses around us. "I'm not going to hurt you. Can you walk? I really don't want either of us to get sick." I reached out to grab his hand, but he let out a small wince and jerked it away from me.

I was confused. Really, really confused and lost.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. I had no idea what to do but stand there like an awkward idiot. The rain was getting heavier and the water was starting to seep into my clothes. I could feel the chill all around me, and it was enough to get my teeth chattering and body shivering.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to use any force on him like I did with Tenko, neither did I know what kind of words were enough to reassure him like with Shouto. I didn't know this Midoriya at all. I was so used to the fact on having information on the characters that I knew in that world, that I had no idea what to do when a character weren't…themselves.

So I didn't say anything. I sucked it up and bore with the cold with only my sweatpants and long sleeved shirt on. Instead of focusing on the chill, I decided to watch Midoriya. His head was cast down, his hand gripping the front of my jacket. His legs were shivering and his back was slouched, and if I listened carefully I could hear murmurs coming out of his mouth, though they were too quiet and rapid that I couldn't understand a single word.

I was getting lost in my thoughts the more I stared at him. I broke out of my reverie when he suddenly snapped his head up to look at me in the eyes, and I held my breath at the vibrant green that reflected in them. They were beautiful eyes, and not too tainted. A little dark, but still not dead yet.

A flash of an unfamiliar dream ran through my mind. Memories of a crying mother and a son with eyes as dead as his soul came and went.

 _He wasn't gone yet._ I told myself, biting my lip.

"W-why?" The whisper was nearly shut off by the rampaging storm, but I managed to pick it up.

"Why, what?" I cocked my head, the wind blowing my wet hair into my face as the rest was stuck flatly onto my head.

"…Why, did you save me?" His voice was high pitched, and quivering. It was so weak and frail, and I had a strange feeling that it would be snuffed out by the raging winds around us. "Why did you find me?"

I bit my lip, thinking about my answer. I couldn't blurt out, 'Oh, you're the main character and I had to save you!' That made no sense and it probably wasn't the answer I was supposed to give. It wasn't a lie that I cared for the boy in front of me, but I didn't know him on the same level compared to Shouto or Tenko.

So I answered as honestly as possible.

"I saved you when you jumped off that building," I let my words slip out carefully and loudly. I saw Midoriya bit his lip, and I knew that he could hear me. I tried not to let the feeling of wet underwear distract me as I continued speaking. "Because I care about you. I want to know what's wrong. I want to help you."

I took a step forward, and continued to take small steps when he didn't show any signs of backing away. When I was standing right in front of him, with his green eyes wavering and looking at anywhere but my face, I reached out to pat him gently on the head. His face rocketed upwards to see me clearly, and I smiled. I heard an intake of breath.

"It doesn't matter if you're different from me. In my eyes, I only see a boy who needs help and nothing more."

His eyes flickered, and suddenly, arms pushed forward sent me teetering backwards. I was caught off guard, so I was unable to catch myself and my butt landed on a puddle, sending a wave of muddy water all over me. I spluttered and hacked, trying to wipe the water out of my face as I stood up.

"What the hell-?!"

"How can you talk about me like that?!" I felt my blood freeze up as I stopped my actions and looked forward. Midoriya, he was clenching my jacket to his body so hard that his knuckles were turning white, and he looked so _lost and afraid_. He looked at me like I was an unknown creature, and my gut told me something wasn't right. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"I-I-I-" He was hyperventilating, his breath short and quirk. "I-I-I'm not, I'm not-"

I ran to him and gripped his shoulders, panic taking over my emotions. "Calm down! It's fine! Everything's going to be okay!"

"NO!" He cried, slapping my hands away and jerking his body behind, falling backwards in the process. I cursed under my breath and reached out, wrapping my hands over his waist to prevent him from hitting the wall behind him.

"Calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!" I tried once more to convince him. The rain was getting harsher, it was practically pounding on my back, and thunder crashed across the sky. We needed to get out of here. "We need to find shelter! It's getting more and more dangerous just standing out here like this!"

"NO! L-let go!" He squirmed and thrashed in a fit of desperation, his movements sloppy and panicked. "S-STOP TOUCHING ME! LET GO!" His fist moved up to crash into my nose, and I bit down on my lip hard enough to draw blood and refused to let out so much as a whimper.

I couldn't take it anymore. I was sick of walking on eggshells and being cautious of my words. I couldn't keep my mouth shut anymore as I finally snapped, my patience dying down.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" I let go of him and pushed him to the wall, my hand slamming into the brick material. My teeth were bared and my eyes were livid, our foreheads touched in a glare.

"WHY ARE YOU SO SCARED OF ME?!"

A flash of surprise and fear seeped into his expression, and a horrible feeling grasped me, before an emotion I never saw appeared on his face.

Anger.

His hands shakily came up to grip my collar. His breathing was unstable, but he sucked in a deep breath and yelled, his voice finally having a certain power that made me want to hurl.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

I was taken aback, but I didn't stop. "Understand? What don't you?!"

"EVERYTHING!" His hands shook even more, but he never looked away from me. "I-I don't understand everything y-you do! You shouldn't have saved me back there! You should have just left me when I decided to jump! I-I don't deserve to live! I'm a worthless human being! I'm a _quirkless_!"

Tears streamed down his face and his voice sounded so heartbreakingly desperate. His eyes were slowly losing their vivid green, turning into a murky black. For the first time, I felt that I had seen a glimpse of his true nature. His self loathing, his twisted view on the world, his trust when it came to others.

And I hated it. I hated everything about this situation.

I lifted my hand from the wall and gripped his collar, pushing him against the wall once more.

"Listen to me and don't forget it when I say this," My voice took on a deeper tone as I stared into his gaze, piercing his with mine. "There is no such thing as a person who does not have a right to live. It doesn't matter if you're quirkless or not. I saved you because I wanted to. I care about you because I can. I don't give a _flying fucker's ass_ whether you have a quirk or not!" My voice rose, my emotions reaching its peak as I finally shouted the words I wanted to tell him since the day I met him.

"I accept you for who you are! _So let yourself too_!"

Time seemed to stop. Midoriya's grip on my collar seemed to loosen. We both stood there, panting and heaving. The rain was as harsh as ever, but it seemed so quiet all of a sudden. No one was speaking, and no sound could be heard.

I felt my arms being pushed away. My emotions slowly growing numb, I couldn't do anything but watch as the tired boy pushed himself away from the wall. His hand moving up to grip his neck, he spared a glance at me and I couldn't move.

His eyes. They were no longer green.

"I wish I could." His voice was so thin and weak. A small smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes didn't change.

He turned his back to me.

Just like that, he took off, taking my jacket and a piece of my heart along, the latter being ripped out from me.

I panted, soaking up the information of what had just happened in front of me.

Then, I screamed.

I yelled and cried. I didn't know what to do anymore.

I screwed up, and I didn't know how to fix it. I did something unforgivable. I did something that was unfixable. I messed up.

 _Dark blue eyes. They were the same. In a place so far away that it was impossible for me to reach. It was like they were telling me that I couldn't save them._

 _That I was helpless._

I rolled up into a ball on the side of the road, shivering and sobbing. I was so lost now. What have I done? Why did I yell at him? He was already so hurt by Bakugou, why did I have to go and add another trauma to him? Why couldn't I have just been more patient?

Why? Why?

Why did we become like this?

I heaved; my breathing ragged and my face swollen. My cries turned into quiet sobs, and I couldn't feel my hands anymore. The rain pounded on my back, but I couldn't bring myself to care if I got sick again. Nothing else mattered other than the view of those murky, black eyes.

Footsteps approached me. Faint, barely hearable, but they were there.

"…Hey."

A familiar voice. I raised my head to meet a pair of gray and blue eyes that I knew all too well. I didn't know what he was doing here or how he knew I was here, but even that seemed minuscule.

"…Shouto." I croaked out, my voice sounding raspy. I tried to force myself to smile, even though I was sure no matter what I did, I looked like a huge mess of tears and hot air.

"…It didn't work out, haha."

Shouto bit his lip, his multicolored bangs covering his eyes. He crouched down, the umbrella in his hand covering the both of us as he leaned forward to wrap his arms around me.

"…You're too kind, Ochako. But being kind can't always help people." Shouto whispered; his voice right next to my ear. His warm breath tickled me. "You did well, but you can't save everybody. Sometimes, you have to let it go."

I didn't say anything. The only thing I did was hug him back with all the power in my weakening body as I buried my face into his warm neck. Shouto was like a fireplace, cozy and warm, comfortable. I was tired.

I wanted to go home, so I didn't protest when the now taller boy picked me up and carried me back. The sounds of the thunder and rain crashed and faded into the background, and before I knew it, my world faded into black.

 **XXX**

The jacket, it smelled of her. Of a cheap shampoo, sunshine and the scent of grass. It was soaked by rainwater, but it was oddly warm. It was the only thing he was holding onto as he ran.

He ran. He ran until he found his house. He fiddled with the keys that he sewed into his pocket, unlocked the door and threw himself inside, not forgetting to lock the door behind him. He practically jumped out of his shoes and threw his wet socks onto the floor, clumsily maneuvering around to make his way to his destination.

The jacket still clung to him. It was making him dizzy. It was making him recall her face. It was making his heart churn and twist.

This foreign feeling. He didn't know what it was, and he didn't want to. He wanted to stay away from it; he wanted to have nothing to do with it.

Yet, here he was, with her jacket around him like a piece of comfort.

Being with her was too confusing. Being with her was too scary. Being with her was like charging headfirst into an abyss full of unknown danger. She was too unexpected, too dangerous, and too different from other people.

 _She told him with those true, honest eyes that she accepted him. That she cared. Her, a complete stranger, caring for a worthless, quirkless._

He bit his lip as he shoved those emotions down. He could not feel them; he didn't deserve to feel them. She was just a stranger, a nobody.

 _Brown eyes. Wide brown eyes with a kind smile that sent his heart twisting and turning._

He gripped his neck tighter, trying to stop himself from thinking.

He fondled around before finally finding the light switch. He flipped it on, the light revealing the scenery of the kitchen he was well accustomed to.

He reached up onto the counter, pulling himself up until he could see the kitchen knives. His hand trembling, he took one, the sharp glint of the blade sending a cold shiver down his spine.

He was nothing. She was nothing. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing should matter.

He remembered a time when there were only smiles and cheer. When he was happy, when _they_ were happy. There was a time when they were friends, and to him, that was all that mattered.

 _Now, all his closest memories consisted of heat, blasts, scars and pathetic whimpers. He knew when to give up, the entire school thought of him as lesser than the dirt on their shoes, the adults all thought he was pathetic, his mother… His mother was always the odd one out for having a son like him. She was such a beautiful and kind mother, loving him even after his father passed away. She didn't deserve any of the bad things said about him behind her back. He didn't deserve her._

His hands were still cold. The jacket was heavy on his shoulders.

He got off the counter and headed to the living room. He stood in front of the body length mirror they had and looked at his appearance. He couldn't see very well, but he could make out his face and body because of the temporary flash of the lightning.

Pale, white skin with freckles all over. Dark, matted and damp green hair flattened against his skull. A thin, frail body. Tired, half-lidded green eyes that was no longer green.

The brown jacket was still on him. It was heavy and had a hood. Why was he still keeping it? He shook it off and threw it on the floor, making a slimy sound of wet fabric against wood. He pulled the tattered sweater over his head, leaving him in his black tank-top, and the cold air hit his bare skin. He looked at the mirror again.

Scratches, cuts and burns all over, and a dark red ring around his neck. He looked horrible, and so tired.

 _The softness of a girl's hand. The strong and firm, yet gentle chime of a girl's voice. Soft and wet hair flying all over the place with a kind smile._

He angled the sharp blade of the knife to his neck.

Stop. End everything. It was enough.

The door clicked. The lights flickered on.

He froze.

His mother was there. Standing at the entrance with widened eyes and a hand on the light switch.

"…Izuku?" His mother's voice was shaking. "…What are you doing?"

He dropped the knife. It clattered to the ground.

His mind was numb, he couldn't think up of an excuse. She was there right in front of him, and she could see. She could finally see the state he was in, and what he had been hiding from her all this time. All of his shame was visible. There was no escape anymore.

"Izuku…?" His mother approached him and reached to touch his shoulders, carefully avoiding his scars. Her hands were shaking too, Izuku thought.

"Please tell me…What were you going to do?" She looked at him, her own green eyes boring into his.

His lip quivered into a smile.

"I'm sorry mom." His voice came out in a whisper and he gently pried her hands away. He closed his eyes, and smiled, tears appearing at the corner of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry."

He left her there and ran into his room with all of the power in his body, submerging himself in darkness as he locked the door. He could hear hurried footsteps, and the twisting and turning of the doorknob and his mother's frantic voice.

"Izuku?! Izuku?! Please, let me in!"

He let out a quivering breath with his back leaning on the door. The door was starting to shake and he could hear banging. He slid down to sit on the cold, wooden floor, his knees tucked in as he buried his face between them.

"Izuku?! Izuku?! Please, come out! Please! Please!"

He could hear the desperation in her voice become more prominent. He could hear her sobs, her sadness, and her worry from behind the door. If he opened it, he would no doubt be enveloped in hugs and warmth.

But he couldn't take it. Not now. He didn't know whether he ever could feel her warmth again.

She was crying now.

Izuku pressed his face harder into his knees, his arms coming up to wrap around his head.

"I'm so sorry, mom." He whispered, a sob choking his voice. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Every cry she let loose made his heart felt like it was being ripped into tiny pieces. She would cry and his heart would tear, and nothing else would be left. All that would be left of him was small, tattered pieces of his soul that would no longer exist.

 _Please mom, stop crying._

He wished that time could reverse. He wished that _he_ could reverse time. If not a few years before, just a few minutes before would be fine. Anything to keep her from finding out his secret.

 _If only he had a quirk._

 **XXX**

* * *

A view I was sick of was spread out in front of me.

"Again…" I grumbled to myself, stuffing my hands into my imaginary pockets as I looked around. "I'm getting sick of this place…"

It was just like before, a little similar, yet, different. The trees were no longer swaying, there was no breeze, but the entire area seemed engulfed in a soft, orange light. It was warm, not cold, and there was a sense of peace.

The road loomed in front of me. Bracing myself, I let out another sigh and started to walk.

This time, it took a long time. I felt like I was walking for miles, and I was not exaggerating. I felt like my legs were going to fall off. The road seemed to stretch on endlessly, and I had no idea when I was going to reach my destination. It seemed as if I was walking through someone's lane of nostalgia, or memories, and I was going to see a memory from a time of very, very long ago.

Then again, this was just a dream, wasn't it?

Finally, after endless bouts of walking, the scene in front of me flashed, and I was dragged into another one.

I was prepared for whatever horror it was going to show me.

"Kacchan, wait up!"

"Haha! Hurry up, Izu!"

Two boys. Two boys that were about three, or maybe younger, I couldn't tell. They were both smiling, happy, and were chasing each other freely, as if nothing in the world mattered. It was a picture of peace, of harmony and happiness, and the two boys were the reason for it.

I almost doubted my eyes when I saw Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku.

This dream- memory was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was warm and happy, not cold and depressing. Nobody was crying, wailing, pleading for help. Only laughter and smiles were around.

I felt a sense of peace, and it was downright strange. Since when did that trash box ever call Izuku anything but 'Deku'? When was this 'Izu', ever introduced?

"Uwah!"

Izuku fell to the ground, tripping over a rock. It wasn't long until he started sniffling, before blowing up into cries. He was gripping his knee which was slightly scraped, though it didn't look too bad.

Katsuki, who had noticed Izuku's crying, ran over to him in a flurry. "Izu? You okay?"

"It-it hurts, Kacchan!" Izuku wailed, snot dripping out of his nose and tears poured from his eyes. Katsuki let out a small harrumph and to my surprise, pulled out a handkerchief and pushed it against Izuku's face gently.

 _Gently._ That was a word I never thought I would use to refer to Bakugou Katsuki.

"Dummy! A man shouldn't cry over something like this! A hero wouldn't! All Might wouldn't!" Katsuki continued, rubbing the snot and tears off of the little boy's face as best as he could. It seemed that his words had some sort of effect, as Izuku's crying had slowly died down to small sniffles, and he was making an effort to wipe his face by himself now.

"We're gonna be three soon, so man up Izu!" Katsuki stretched out his other hand and grabbed Izuku's, helping him up to his feet. Izuku sniffled and took a deep breath, but stood up and nodded.

"I-I k-know! I-I'll be stronger!" Izuku let out a small cough and looked straight at the blonde boy.

He slowly burst into a smile. A smile so full of compassion and warmth, of love, and his eyes were shimmering with tears and unhidden adoration.

It was a smile that took my breath away. It was so full of innocence, and childish affection.

"Thanks K-Kacchan! You're the best!" Izuku hiccupped, and gripped Katsuki hand tightly. A small pink flush made its way onto Katsuki's face, but he smiled just as broadly and proudly. Happiness and fondness were reflected in his warm, scarlet orbs, and those eyes left me just as breathless as Izuku's smile had.

"Of course I am! I'm going to be the number hero after all!"

The two of them started walking slowly, hand in hand. The rays from the sunset dyed the roads and the two of them in a heavenly orange, and the view of their silhouettes burned into the back of my mind. They were laughing, smiling, and happy.

Katsuki wasn't angry, Izuku wasn't sad. There was a time when the two of them were good friends, best friends even. What happened? Why? What changed?

 _Three._ He said.

 _Quirks._

An indescribable sadness took hold of my heart. The beautiful sunset started to shimmer, and the serene picture in front of me faded and disappeared like mist.

* * *

 **XXX**

Katsuki was pissed, no, furious, no - he was downright _enraged_.

That girl. That girl with the brown hair and pink cheeks and fucking attitude. How could she, a normal, extra you wouldn't even take notice of in movies, dare to break his jaw? She had sprouted off nonsense, disrupted the only time that Katsuki ever enjoyed, broke his damn jaw and made off with that fucking Deku.

He was enraged, and nothing was going to quell his anger. He couldn't stop screaming because of the pain, but he didn't know what to say when the doctor had told him that he was just going to immobilize his jaw by wrapping bandages around his head and jaw.

A clean break, he had told Katsuki. He had told Katsuki that whoever who hit him was either really skilled, or he was just really lucky, and despite the horrible sound that he heard when her leg came in contact, it wasn't a severe injury. The injury apparently wasn't as bad as the appearance of his swollen lower face and lip, he scoffed to himself. If he kept his mouth shut it would recover in less than two months, along with the nasty bruise on his chin.

He didn't know what to think. Did she go easy on him? Did she think he wasn't worth her time, and that fucking Deku was? Did she think that defeating him wasn't important, but saving the weak, defenseless nerd was?

He was furious. No one had showed him up like she ever did, and she didn't even care that she beat him. It was an effortless job, second after saving the bullied from the bully.

He was angry that someone, it didn't matter if she was a girl or not, had hit him and gave him an injury. But he was even angrier that she didn't care about beating him.

He was fuming to himself in the waiting room in the hospital after his treatment, with his teacher by his side. A 'friend' of his happened to find him writhing on the ground behind the gym, so he brought a teacher who took him to the hospital. When his parents arrived, his mother chastised him and nearly bit his head off before his father stopped her. She shouted some more angry words at him and stormed off, probably heading to take his medicine from the reception. His father had sat on the seat next to him, bid the teacher goodbye who had left with an uneasy expression, and smiled at Katsuki.

It was a gentle smile that hadn't been inherited. Not that he would ever want that pathetic look on his face anyway.

"So, someone showed you up at school today, huh?" Masaru asked gently, his words soft. "Are you okay?"

Katsuki wasn't sure whether he was talking about his injury, or his pride. With his jaw bound shut anyway, he couldn't speak very well and only uttered a grunt. He looked away angrily and gripped the seat under him forcefully.

He didn't see the expression that his father had made.

"Katsuki," Masaru's voice entered his ears. "I know this is a first for you, it's a first for all of us so your mother's just really worried. Don't take what she yelled at you to heart too much. You and I both know that she can be…reckless with her words."

He knew of course. He got that part of her, so he didn't care much. It wasn't that that had made his mood turn sour.

He still couldn't push the memory of the brown haired girl out of mind.

Loud footsteps were heard, and he knew that his mother had come back. He spared a glance at her to see that her expression was calmer than before, and he let out a mental sigh. He didn't want to get yelled at, he already had enough pent up anger. She approached him and took his arm, pulling him out of his seat. He complied, not willing to act rashly now. His father followed.

They exited the building and headed to the car without any words exchanged. It was freakishly odd for the blonde boy, who was used to his mother's nagging. They entered the car and as he clicked the seatbelt into place, his mother finally opened her mouth.

"Katsuki, why did you get hurt?" She asked him seriously from the driver's seat, and the car started. He wanted to yell at her to stay out of his business, but he could hear the tone in her voice that didn't allow any bullshit.

It was hard to talk, and he didn't want to honestly, but he tried his best.

"A girl…She showed uh of nowhere. Kick me. Knew Deku."

He heard a sharp intake of breath when he mentioned that name.

"Katsuki, were you hitting Izuku again?"

He didn't see any reason to hide it, so he nodded.

The car jerked and nearly crashed into a nearby tree if it wasn't for Masaru who had steadied the wheel from the front passenger seat.

"DAMN IT KATSUKI! YOU KNOW WHAT I TOLD YOU!" Mitsuki roared, her shrill voice piercing his ears. Masaru and he both winced reflexively, and his father tried his best to calm her down.

"Mitsuki, maybe we should save this talk after we get home, ok? It's dangerous to do this when you're driving."

That piece of wisdom was ignored by the blonde woman. "YOU FUCKING BRAT! I TOLD YOU TO STOP BULLYING HIM! DO YOU KNOW HOW HURT HE IS ALREADY?! I DON'T NEED TO HEAR INKO CRYING ANYMORE!"

He bristled and shouted back. "I DON-" He winced at the pain that rushed to his jaw. He stopped talking immediately; bringing his hands to his injury as he swore in his mind. Seeing this, Mitsuki stopped yelling, but the furrow in her brow didn't cease. She let out an angry sigh before facing forward once more; gripping the wheel that Masaru was trying his best to guide.

The car steadied once more, and it got quiet.

Katsuki didn't care what he was doing to Deku. Hurting Deku, seeing him being all pathetic was the only thing he enjoyed nowadays. Seeing him weak and defenseless told both of them that in no ways were Deku ever above him, and that he looked up at Katsuki. Never down. It should have stayed that way forever.

His perfect world came crashing down when she arrived. Uraraka Ochako. He would never forget that name, he swore to himself in his head. He would never forget this day.

She would get her share of pain soon, along with that nerd the next time he saw the both of them.

 **XXX**

Izuku woke up.

His head still throbbed, but the fever had gone down. He shuffled around in bed and put a hand to his forehead.

It was normal. Not scorching. He let out a relieved sigh.

He could hear sizzling and the heavenly smell of breakfast wafting through the air. He sniffed, enjoying the scent that lingered in the air. Eggs and bread, maybe with bacon, he mused to himself.

He snuck a look at the calendar that hung on the wall. The faint sunlight that entered from the gaps of his curtain assisted in his endeavor.

July 20th. It was the start of his summer vacation.

Two weeks, he thought to himself. Two weeks since his mother found out. Two weeks since he got sick and stuck in bed.

He recalled the incident two weeks ago. After he had shut himself in his room, he felt his body getting heavier and his head groggier. He hauled himself to his bed and collapsed on it, only to wake up the next day with a horrible headache. The door to his room was unlocked and a cold towel was placed on his forehead, so he had figured that his mother had used the key to his room.

His mother was so worried, it was obvious. Since that she changed him, she saw all of his bruises and cuts, even more clearly than the night before. He was surprised to find that all of his cuts were bandaged neatly, and the scrape on his knee was cleaned. When she came into his room that morning with a bowl of porridge and a face that send his guilt skyrocketing, she didn't ask anything and just sat next to him, feeding him his meal and leaving after giving him medicine.

He didn't know what to think of the situation. She wasn't asking him or anything, but her eyes told everything. She wanted to know, she needed to know, but she held back because he was sprouting a high fever and was clearly in no state to tell her anything. For that reason, he was grateful for the flu.

His flu had lasted longer than he expected. Then again, he was never really the healthiest person in the world. He hadn't been sleeping lately because of nightmares, and all those days spend out in the rain drained his energy enough that the sickness stuck to him for a while. It seemed like it was finally gone though, his head was clearing up and he felt better than he ever did.

He sucked in a deep breath and moved slowly, getting out of bed. It was already summer, and the temperature was getting hot enough to force him to get up. He walked sluggishly, hesitant and not looking forward to facing his mother.

He cracked the door open and peaked out of it. Sure enough, his mother was at the kitchen, visible from the living room. She looked tired, her skin a pale shade and bags under her eyes. Izuku felt guilt strike him again, and his hand reached up to grip his neck. He traced the bandage above the red ring slowly before taking a deep breath, and stepped out of his room.

"Mom?" He hesitantly raised his raspy voice, and she swung around to look at him. She attempted a smile, but it was so small and full of fatigue.

"Izuku, good morning." She greeted.

"Morning." He replied, swallowing awkwardly.

"Your breakfast is laid out on the table. I had a feeling your fever would go down, so I made toast with eggs and bacon. I hope you enjoy it," She paused for a second. "And…We need to talk."

His heart thumped in his chest. He nodded.

Later, as they were both at the dining table with a thick silence coating the atmosphere, he decided to open his mouth.

"M-mom," He started out, his feet shuffling restlessly. "C-can I take a walk?"

Surprise reflected in her eyes at his inquire, her fork pausing in mid-air. "You just got over your flu."

He fidgeted, this time his hands starting to pull down his shirt. "I-I know, but, I can relax when I do. P-please?"

She didn't answer, her green eyes focused on his. He wanted desperately to pull away and avert his eyes, but he summoned his courage and didn't budge. A while later, she let out a small sigh and set down her tableware.

"Ok, but I'm not letting you go alone," She stated firmly. "I'm coming with you."

He swallowed, not expecting her accompaniment, but nodded anyway. There was no backing out, he realized, and he had to spill. It was not an option anymore. He felt his palms sweat, and he rubbed them on his shirt. His hands were starting to shake.

He was terrified, and he seriously wanted to jump out a window. His hand itched for the fork on the table, but he gripped his hand with his other, not willing to stab himself in front of his mother.

His mother got up from her chair, and he followed, leaving his half eaten meal on the table as they walked out the door from their apartment.

 **XXX**

The rainy season had passed, and it was the second last week of July when the temperature suddenly shot up, telling that summer had arrived. About two weeks had passed after Shouto found Ochako in the rain, crying and sobbing to herself. He could never forget the way she clung to him like a baby after he had carried her, and it sent a strike of pain to his heart. He never saw her that vulnerable and broken, and it was all because of a boy he had never even saw or met.

A surge of protectiveness rose in him. Maybe it was wrong of him, but he couldn't forgive the boy who had hurt her even though he was probably hurting himself. He had hurt Ochako, and that was all that mattered to Shouto.

He wanted to protect her too, after all.

He entered the café that chimed lightly when he pushed the door, and a soothing breeze hit him. He scanned the entire room for a mop of gray hair, and let out a relieved sigh when he found one. He headed to the table that was seated at the back, next to the wide windows that gave everyone a perfect view of the place.

He slid into the seat across the gray haired teen, and he looked up from his battered phone. Red eyes met gray and blue.

Shimura Tenko pocketed the device, and leaned back on the chair. "Hey. It's been a while."

As always, the teen wore his signature black jacket with the hood over his head even though the temperature was sky high. His shoulder length gray hair peaked out from it, and his red eyes seemed like an animal's in the dark. He was more laidback and calm around people now, not flinching whenever there were a lot of people or loud noise, but he always kept that hood on that made Shouto wonder if he was afraid of people seeing his face.

Shouto was surprised when Tenko had called him and asked him to meet him in a café in the city. He was even more surprised when he had called about two weeks before, asking him to go to a school that he had never even heard of. He was confused, but ultimately understood why when he saw Ochako crouching down on the roadside. Tenko had called him because of Ochako, he thought to himself. So this time would be no different.

"Hi. Two weeks or so, right?" Shouto smiled, his eyes softening. Despite the intimidating aura the teen released, he wasn't scary. Of course his face was almost always emotionless, but when he was around Ochako, his expressions always shifted. She was his light, like Shouto's, and that was a thing they both had in common, so the boy never really found him scary at all.

"Yeah." Tenko's emotionless mask started to peel off, and Shouto could see hints of a smile on the teen's face.

Before the both of them could talk anymore, a loud 'Number 13' was called from the counter. Tenko had gotten up and approached it before coming back with two drinks in his hands. One was a café latte while the other was a mug of hot chocolate. Shouto gladly accepted the hot coco while the taller boy drank his latte.

Shouto decided to ask another question. "How's Ochako? Is she ok?"

He felt a small pang of sadness when Tenko shook his head, his tongue clicking a bit. "She's still holed up in her room. She only comes out for meals and she doesn't look any different. Mom and Dad are getting more worried by the day, but I convinced them that I would help her."

Shouto nodded and sipped his drink. "…I've never seen her like that. I'm not sure what to do." The multicolored haired boy confessed with his eyes downcast.

He heard a small sigh across from him. "…You and I both." Tenko grumbled, bringing the latte up to his lips.

They were truly at lost. Ochako was supposed to be bright, happy and doing stupidly crazy things. She wasn't supposed to be sad and depressed. Shouto wanted her back. He was half thinking of tracking down that boy she tried to save and strangle him until he fixed his problems by himself, then send him to comfort Ochako.

He didn't like it, but he had a feeling that Ochako could only be saved by that boy's words. Anything that Tenko or he said wouldn't get through her. She was hard headed and stubborn that way, and though he felt exasperation, he also felt a fondness for that trait of hers.

"…You know, she really likes Oreos." Shouto supplied. Tenko scoffed and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Tell me about it. She devoured an entire box in twenty minutes. I had to lock her in her room to stop her from eating another one." He grumbled, legs shifting into a more comfortable position.

Shouto chuckled as he imagined the scene. "Yeah. You two seem more like siblings now. It's kind of strange."

Tenko blew a strand of hair out of his face. "You think it's strange? I feel like I'm hallucinating every time I wake up. It doesn't seem real compared to my life before I met her."

Shouto smiled a little melancholy. "I know what you mean. Sometimes it feels like a dream."

Tenko looked up to the ceiling, a small sigh escaping his lips. "…Too much of one if you ask me."

A silence passed before Tenko straightened up and looked at Shouto in the eye. "Hey, kid."

"Yeah?" Shouto tilted his head inquiringly.

"…Sometimes," The teen started out hesitantly, a rare thing that sent Shouto's senses alert. "Do you ever get the feeling that… that brat's weird?"

Shouto blinked as if Tenko was stating an obvious fact.

Tenko bit his lip, his eyes starting to wander. "I know that she's strange. You and I both do. She approached a corpse look alike and offered help without screaming and running away. She's fixed on saving people that has no connection to her. But sometimes she has that look in her eyes. That look that makes me think that she knows something that I don't. Like she's looking at something other than me."

Shouto let out a breath of sigh as his eyes slowly widened. What the older boy was saying somehow struck a chord in Shouto. The things that he said… Shouto had felt them before too. It wasn't unknown.

The half and half boy nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing instead. "…Yeah. I do, I think." He confessed, his hand coming up to cover his mouth in a thinking motion.

Digging through his memories, he managed to pull one up that seemed so long ago. "It happened a few times, I think, when she looked at me like that. She seemed…older. Wiser. She looked sad. I can't really remember too well, but what you're saying… I definitely felt something like that in the past."

Tenko let out a small groan and leaned back on his seat once more. "…So I wasn't imagining it."

Shouto was about ask some more when a flash of brown tickled the edge of his vision.

It could have been anything. A branch, a bird, something that wasn't out of place, but he found his eyes gravitating to the source. He saw a small figure in a baggy, yellow shirt with pink flowers and jean shorts. A messy, chestnut colored bundle of hair tied hastily into a spiky, short ponytail.

He knew that person, and it sent him to his feet in a flurry.

Tenko was surprised at the boy's sudden movement, but after tracing his line of sight, he understood and it sent him to his feet as well. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, the teen and the boy both shared a look before exiting the café, trailing after the girl who hadn't left the house in a long time.

 **XXX**

I felt like I was walking through a rain forest.

It was so hot, summer in the Kanto region was always scorching, but since that it was right after the rainy season, the humidity was unbearable. If I could I'd have stayed curled up on my bed in my dark room, but it was so hard to bear when sweat was pouring like a waterfall down my body. Plus, we didn't have any air conditioning, so it was even worse.

Adding up all the minus factors in that situation, I decided to head outside. Sure it was probably even hotter and humid, but I haven't been out for like, what, two weeks? It couldn't hurt to get a small change of air.

Mother and father were out working. Summer vacation started today, July 20th. Tenko was out doing stuff I didn't know and couldn't bring myself to care about. I was feeling like a sweaty fish bucket.

Great.

My thoughts were churning as I walked through the bustling roads of the city. Yes, as much fun I had loitering around the suburbs, the city had more things to look at. People, buildings, that strange gas emitting from the horizon, the city was a place full of noisy and irritating things and it was perfect for finding other things to focus on.

I was trying to focus on that blue bird flying, I really was.

It wasn't my fault that dark, murky eyes kept haunting the back of my mind.

The sweat on the back of my neck felt disgusting along with the shower on my back. The baggy shirt I was wearing didn't stick to me as much as I had thought it would, so that was a surprising plus. The sun scorched my hair and skin. I regretted not bringing a hat. At least my hair was up so that it didn't stick to my skin as well.

Thoughts were going in all directions and I felt so tired. When was the last time a walk had drained me this much? I was either going old fast or using up more calories that I ingested.

I was tired. Tired of thinking, tired of weeping, tired of regretting. I was sick of feeling this way and I wanted to go back to my old self. I wanted to solve this problem fast.

One way was to confront the green bush again. Which would end horribly, the ending was already spread out wide and clear for me to see.

I hated it, I loathed it, but I accepted it. I couldn't save Midoriya Izuku. No matter what I did, he wouldn't accept me. He would keep pushing me away, and he would never open up his heart. It was too closed off from the world, and he refused to show it to anyone.

The burns, the scratches, the cuts, the bruises. I could remember the shock I felt when I saw them for the first time on that rainy day. The day when I first met him.

It was strange. There were cuts and bruises that were in weird places, like his wrists and neck. Would Bakugou aim for places like that? Maybe he would strangle him, but would he cut his wrist?

A cold shiver went down my spine, and I stopped in the middle of the path.

I wished I never thought of that. I wanted to erase that thought from my mind. I didn't want to believe it, but it wasn't like it didn't made sense.

Midoriya Izuku jumped off a building. He was suicidal, even if the trigger were Bakugou's words. If he didn't hesitate in jumping, would he hesitate to hurt himself?

The hate, the loathing he had for himself could be a trigger. It was only a glimpse, but I saw how dark his mind was. It wasn't too farfetched.

I bit my lip and clenched my fists hard enough until my nails dug in and left marks.

I wanted to save him. I couldn't let him go. I didn't want to let him go.

It was a selfish desire. One that was unneeded and unwanted, but I couldn't hold it back.

 _I want to see him smile. I want to see him face forward. I'm sick of seeing him cry. I want him to be happy._

But do I have the right to save him? Will he let me in? Or will he push me and lock me away instead? Will my actions drive him over the edge, even more so than now?

I was scared. I was so, so, _so scared_ but at the same time, so full of desire.

Shouto told me that I couldn't save everyone. Sometimes I had to let go, and deep down in my heart, I knew this. I knew that some people were unable to save; some people were too far out of my reach, but I tried. I tried and failed.

I was afraid of ending up with the same or worse result.

I sucked in a deep breath, calming my thoughts.

It was hot, it was no longer bearable.

I wanted to go home.

I turned on my heel and started to walk, back into the direction that came from.

I didn't get very far.

"EAAARRGHHH!"

A loud, deep roar shook the earth. The buildings nearby cracked and rumbled. People were screaming, running. The bustling city turned into an area of chaos, and it was something that I was familiar with. I experienced something like this before, after all.

Villains.

The ground shook once more, pushing me off my feet.

I lost my balance and fell flat on my butt. I looked up, and my mind stopped working. It was as if time had stopped, and memories of my life were flashing through my eyes.

A building right next to me was crumbling. A huge piece was torn off, and it was going to fall on me, judging from the angle. I was stuck on the ground, my feet seeming glued to the cracked pavement. I couldn't move, and I was going to get squashed like an ant.

I was going to die. By a piece of cement. Ridiculous, yet normal in this world, I supposed. Why I was strangely calm, I had no idea. Maybe facing the end of your life does that to you.

"OCHAKOOOO!" A heartbreaking scream. My gaze wandered from above to in front of me. My heart skipped a beat, and blood rushed through my veins once more.

Shouto. Tenko. Why were they there?

My fingers twitched.

They looked so desperate. I saw that look once on Shouto, when we faced Endeavor and the adult was strangling my neck, but never on Tenko. With eyes so full of pleading, face scrunched up in a way that made me feel like crying like a little kid, I hated seeing that look on them. On anybody, really.

My heart clenched.

 _Don't look like that. Why are you looking at me like that?_

 _Oh wait, I'm going to die. Right._

 _Wait, die? Why?_

My legs shook.

Suddenly, I could move.

I sprung to my feet, looking up and accessing the situation. The chunk of cement was falling towards me now, completely separated from the building. It was falling fast, and I wouldn't be able to escape it if I ran, it was too big.

A thought flickered to life in me. It wasn't impossible. If I timed it right, I could activate my quirk and punch through the brick of debris. I was more used to using my legs, but the pink circles were only there on my fingers. No matter, losing an arm was better than losing my life, I supposed.

I reeled my fist, spreading my legs and sucking in a deep breath. My eyes were focused, honing in on the spot I was going to hit. One shot. That was all I had.

So here I was, all prepared to stake my life on this stupid stunt when a huge slab of ice suddenly appeared in front of me. My eyes widened when I saw a shadow zoom up the slope of blue and white, and jumped straight at the chunk of falling architect.

The wind blew the hood off, and gray entered my vision.

Tenko.

He let out a deep cry as his hand, all five fingers, made contact with the debris.

It was the first time for me, witnessing his quirk. The instant he touched it, black spread out from the spot where he made contact. From his palm, the material starting crumbling, fast and swift. The crumbled bits grew smaller as they fell through the air, and eventually disappeared like dust carried by the wind. The whole thing was gone in seconds.

My jaw hung in the air.

Tenko landed a few meters in front of me, his feet touching the ground lightly.

I flapped my mouth like a fish, my finger going up to shakily point at him before the words found me.

"You-"

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish my sentence. A sudden cold pricked the back of my neck, so I faced backwards to find Shouto staring at me with an expression I couldn't make heads or tails out of.

"Ochako." He started out, his voice hard. I swallowed and flimsily waved my hand awkwardly.

"Hey."

He approached me, the cold becoming more and more apparent. I absentmindedly wondered how it could get so cold when it was burning hot just a few seconds ago. Shouto stood in front of me, his arms crossed and looking at me with that look in his eyes.

"Are you ok?" He asked me. I blinked, not expecting that question.

"Are you ok?" He repeated, his eyebrows furrowing. I had a feeling that he didn't mean about me not being squashed by a building.

I paused, not knowing how to answer his question. All of a sudden, all that irritating gloom in my head cleared the instant I saw them. I had a feeling that I had worried them a hell lot if they were willing to look at me like that and jump in to rescue me from my doom.

I wasn't alone. I saved them, and they were willing to do the same for me. That thought sunk in with a surprising amount of warmth, and suddenly, those murky eyes didn't seem so scary anymore.

I flashed a smile at him and gave him a thumbs-up. "As good as I can be."

A slap hit the back of my head as a grumpy voice accompanied it. "You better be or I'll never let you eat another bar of chocolate ever again."

My hands flew to that spot Tenko had hit me, and I swore loudly as I turned around. "OW!"

Red eyes were glaring at me, but there was a hint of relief in them. His features seemed warmer than the last time I saw him, which was at the dining table yesterday. His shoulders were sagged now, and his hands were stuffed in his pocket. He jerked his head to outside of the ice roof that Shouto had made.

"Now, are we gonna get the hell out of here or what? Cause' I'm not hanging around for anymore of that."

As if on cue, another ear splitting roar shook the ground, along with the crashes and thunders that accompanied it. It was enough to send the three of us running for our lives and straight into the smoke and dust.

"WHY THE HELL ARE THERE SO MANY VILLAINS?!"

"Heroes are shit, that's why."

"Some of them. Not all of them."

"I don't give a flipping damn about that."

"CAN WE SAVE THIS DEBATE FOR AFTER WE GET HOME."

"IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR BEING SO DAMN WORRYING IN THE FIRST PLACE."

"WELL GEE THANKS FOR CARING!"

"KATSUKI!" A familiar name called by an unfamiliar voice cut into our yelling. "KATSUKI!"

I slammed the breaks, almost crashing into a few people in the process. Shouto and Tenko sped on ahead of me, before stopping when they realized I wasn't following them. They came back for me soon, Shouto gripping my shoulder.

"Ochako?"

A woman with blonde hair was shouting his name as she clawed at the fallen pieces of cement. It seemed like it another chunk had broke off from a building and stacked up on top of each other, making something akin to a prison. A man with glasses and similar blonde hair was looking around frantically, his hands cupped around his mouth.

"SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP! A HERO, ANYBODY! OUR SON IS TRAPPED UNDER SOME DEBRIS, PLEASE HELP!" He called desperately, his voice raspy and full of worry and pleading. However, his voice was just another in the ocean of people, screaming and wailing for help.

My eyes zeroed in the pile of rubble. I could see small flashes, explosions I think, from the small spaces in between.

…Well.

"Ochako, please don't tell me you're going to-"

I took off, running in the direction of the wreckage.

"THAT DAMN-"

I pretended not to hear whatever the tall, gray, noodle stick was yelling about me behind my back.

I weaved through the sea of people, pushing and dodging, and approached the couple from who I assumed to be Bakugou Katsuki's parents. I raised my voice, big enough so that they both could hear me over the screaming and crying.

"HEY! MA'AM AND MISTER WITH THE BLONDE HAIR! I CAN HELP!"

Mitsuki's eyes averted from the disaster before her and darted around before they made contact with my own. I jumped and landed at the bottom of the stacked up bricks of cement. I looked up, staring in the taller woman's eyes determinedly.

"I would like to introduce myself, but I can see that this isn't the time," I started out, flexing my palms. "Ma'am, I have a gravity reducing quirk. I can lift those things trapping your son. May I?" I tried my best to keep my calm. Recalling what I learned from watching the anime, when you're talking to people in need of help, you need to speak clearly and reassuringly as to not agitate them even further.

Mitsuki and Masaru shared a look. Masaru nodded and Mitsuki bit her lip, but she got down from the pile and grasped my shoulder.

"Please, do what you can." She pleaded before Masaru gripped her hand in reassurance and led her away. I nodded and sucked a deep breath. I bended down and placed my hands on the fallen pieces, and prayed that my limit wouldn't hold me back.

My fingers glowed. " _Zero Gravity: Mass Reduction 70%"_

It was a thing I had been practicing. I tried to limit the amount of gravity and mass I reduced, thus allowing me to lift more things without going over the weight limit. It was hard and far from perfect, I was just estimating how much I was reducing, but I had to do it somehow or I would never be able to move all of the debris off the blonde boy.

Sweat dripped from my forehead, but I held on. I was so focused on keeping my puke in that I didn't notice a murmur behind me saying "Excuse me. We're helping her."

My knees shook. I was going to fall, but cold hands gripped my shoulders in support. I looked to the side to see heterochromia eyes glancing at me. Shouto smiled warmly at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I huffed. "I see you find my situation funny."

His eyebrow quirked. "Not so much as you think. I think Tenko can help you."

A scoff was heard from my right. "Brat, I can just rot these things away. Stop pushing yourself and rely on us a bit more." This time I looked right to see Tenko placing his hands on the slabs of concrete. In a flash, the bits he touched turned black and crippled away. I could feel the load on me lessen, and I felt like I could breathe again. I found my lips twitching upwards in a grin.

"Well I'd rather have my stomach in me, not outside of me after all. Thanks, I think I can see-" A flash of blonde entered my vision, and I felt my grin widen. "-the little bastard now."

I pushed away another huge slab of heavy waste, activating my quirk and saw the little guy cramped up in a small space. Amazingly he wasn't too banged up; there were cuts and bruises here and there but he was mostly just forced into a small space because of all the wreckage. His red eyes darted up when he saw a light enter the cramped space, and they widened with recognition and disbelief when they saw me.

I saluted sassily. "Hey, boom-box. How're you doing?"

A vein sprouted out of his head and if it wasn't for the bandage wrapped around his head, I think he would have screamed at me to die. He was snarling and growling, but I couldn't care less. I rolled my eyes and stretched out my hand. Another piece of concrete next to me crumbled away, and we could see each other much more clearly now.

"Look, we can save the violence for later. Now, do you want to rot in here or have a fantastic reunion with your worried as fuck parents?" I jeered at him, waiting for his hand.

Katsuki's face was set so firmly in a scowl that for a moment I wondered if he really was going to rot in here. Luckily or unluckily, he reached out and grabbed my hand in a vice grip. I was sure he was trying to fracture my bone, or at least crush it.

"Shouto, Tenko, a little help?" I called behind my back. In an instance, the two of them had their arms around me, and the three of us pulled. It took a bit of time, but in the end, the blondie managed to shove his way through the gaps, and we were successfully able to retrieve him.

As the four of us were panting on the ground, I put my fingers together, but then I realized that all the debris I lifted was gone, so my eyes traveled to the worn out teen beside me. I felt another smile creep up my lips.

I playfully shoved his side with my shoulder. "Thanks bro. Couldn't have done it without you and my best friend."

He rolled his eyes, panting and sweat dripping slightly from his cheek. "Yeah, yeah."

I heard footsteps run past us. "Katsuki! Oh my god, you little- you had me fucking worried!" The tall blonde woman immediately wrapped her arms around the grumpy boy, squeezing him tightly like her life depended on it. I felt myself smile.

Bakugou Mitsuki was a lot like her son, but she cared more than he ever could. I didn't have anything against her, or Bakugou Masaru who joined the family hug, but quickly pulled away and gently grabbed his wife's hand.

"Come on you two, we need to get going," The glasses clad man spoke with a raspy voice and turned to us, almost blinding me with his smile. "Thank you so much for helping our son. We owe you greatly."

I wanted to laugh and wave it off, but my head started thumping louder. I probably overworked myself, I needed to start my training again, I muttered in my head, so I just mustered a weak smile.

Shouto nodded. "You're welcome."

Tenko grunted and got up, grabbing my hand and pulling me up together. "Yeah, if you don't mind, do you have a car or something?"

Masaru nodded and gestured at a red car just about a mile away. It was a little small and hard to spot because of the dust flying and people running, but from the looks of it, would fit all of us if they decided to take us with them. Luckily for us, that wish was granted. "Please get in. It's the least we could do."

The ground shook once more and more buildings collapsed, judging from the nearby crashes and screams. I didn't know who the villain behind this stupid earthquake was, but I wanted so badly to punch that bastard (or bitch) in the face. Shouto got up too. "Well, we should before another building decides to fall on us."

The six of us started making our way to the vehicle, pushing past the ocean of people. Mitsuki was dragging Katsuki by the arm who was glaring death threats at me as I let them roll down my back. Shouto and Tenko were by my side, keeping me up as I slowly recovered. When we reached our get-away machine, Masaru unlocked the car and urged us to get in.

Tenko didn't hesitate and pushed me into the backseat, him and Shouto following shortly after. Mitsuki and Katsuki took shotgun, her son perched on her lap (it made me want to take a photo and laugh at the sparky). Masaru took the driver's wheel, and we were off, probably going past the speed limit like our life depended on it (which it did).

"MOVE IT, WE'RE TRYING TO RUN AWAY HERE!" Mitsuki shouted as she rolled down the window. Of course it wasn't too effective, but she was probably stressed, I thought to myself as I felt my head pound.

"Ochako, how're you holding up?" Shouto asked me, his left hand starting to freeze, the temperature in the car starting to drop as it shook, running over a bump in the road. "I can cool down your forehead if you need me to."

Tenko jabbed the shorter boy's forehead, and I wondered 'since when did they get so close to each other?'

"Idiot, she's not sick. Probably just overused her quirk."

I pointed at the teen with my thumb. "What the grumpy Eeyore said."

He slapped me upside the head this time.

Masaru suddenly made a surprised sound, loud enough that it alerted everyone. In that instant, all of the people in the car focused on him.

He squinted ahead. "Is that…Inko?"

"What?!" Mitsuki reacted instantly, leaning forward to get a better look. I almost sprung to my feet myself. Why was Midoriya's mother here?!

"That is! Why is she- Masaru stop the car!" She ordered, and he complied. Shouto snuck a look behind us, and let out a small grunt. I knew what he was thinking; he was trying to see if we were far enough from the chaos around. I snuck a glance too. To be honest, we didn't get so far. We didn't know how strong the villain's quirk was; for all we knew that earthquake might not even be the last of it. We needed to move, fast, but another part of me whispered at me to stop and talk to the green haired woman. Something was wrong; Inko seemed to be looking around frantically for something or someone as she was pushed by the panicking people around her.

We somehow managed to pull up beside the mother, and Mitsuki shouted. "Inko! What are you doing here?! Get in, we're going to drive you out of here!"

"Mitsuki?!" Inko exclaimed with shock, her eyes wide before shaking her head. "I can't! Izuku was with me, but I don't know where he is now!" She yelled desperately, her eyes darting here and there.

 _Izuku was with her. He was gone._

I didn't register my actions before Tenko shouted at my name. I was running, the car door left open as I practically jumped out of the car. My eyes started to shift from side to side as rapidly as I could, my body moving on its own accord. I heard a scream beside me and my attention shifted. A piece of rubble was heading my way, but I dodged just in time.

I plunged into the sea of chaos. How was I going to find a small boy in this gigantic mess, I wasn't so sure, but I needed to find him. I couldn't leave him alone. I didn't want to leave him alone. I mustered all the strength in my body and yelled as loud as I could, praying that my call wouldn't be buried in all the noise.

"MIDORIYA IZUKU! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

I searched and searched, avoiding the pieces of building and people heading towards me. Jumping on top of a pile of debris to get a better view, I looked around frantically. I was in a park; a fuzzy voice informed me in the back of my mind, or what used to be it. The slide was in shambles, the benches were all crushed below the concrete, and people were shoving each other as they ran past me. My head was pounding, my legs were shaking, but I couldn't fail now. He was out there somewhere, and he needed someone to find him.

I cupped my mouth, and yelled once more, tears starting to appear in my eyes. "IZUKU! PLEASE ANSWER ME!"

I sucked in another breath, bellowing out,

"I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU!"

 **XXX**

Ah, how cruel the world was, he thought to himself.

Just as he thought he could finally tell his mother how he felt, tell her about the burns, the bruises, t _he pain_ , a huge tremor resounded and cracked the ground between them, tearing them apart. It was like the world was telling him that no matter what he did, he couldn't be saved. No matter how much he tried, a stupid thing called fate would rip him apart like the wave of people who rushed her away.

He was never loved by god. He was quirkless, he was weak, he was pathetic, and now, he was truly and completely alone. His mother, the only person he could ever think of opening up to was gone. He was standing in the park full of chaos and madness, people pushing and shoving, crying and screaming.

 _You cry, you scream, but do you know that I feel like doing that every second of my life?_ He thought spitefully, an ugly black emotion forming in him. _But no matter how much I beg, yell, weep, no one would hear me. Because I'm not worth hearing. I'm not worth anyone's time._

That was a lie, a part of him whispered. If he just stopped hating himself, if he would just open his eyes, if he would just _accept himself_ , his quirkless self, there was a chance that he would have talked to his mother sooner. He was just so afraid. He didn't want to show her how broken he was, he didn't want to disappoint her, but most of all, he couldn't stand it if she didn't want him anymore once she saw how hopeless he truly was. It was fine if she couldn't see him, it was fine if she didn't know, he told himself that more times than he could count.

He thought if he killed himself, everything would be solved. She wouldn't ever know how he was but only get a glimpse of the person he didn't show her, Katsuki couldn't hurt him (even the boy who loved hurting him couldn't possibly taunt him if he was dead, right?), everyone, including him, would be happy.

But then she, the girl with brown hair and who smelt like grass and sunshine appeared. She swept him off his feet like a princess waiting for her prince, and saw him. She didn't run. She didn't avert her eyes. She saw how he was, she peaked at his true self, but she came back. She never stopped trying; her hand was always outstretched for him.

And she was there, screaming for him with tears pouring down her pink cheeks.

Ah, he thought to himself. The world was so cruel. It cast him away, shunned him, and dangled a silver spider thread in front of him, before pulling it away when he finally managed to grasp it.

He was afraid that she was another silver thread that would disappear the moment he touched it.

He felt tears pour down his cheeks as his feet slowly moved. He walked as if the chaos around him didn't exist, as if she was the only one in existence. He approached her, he was just by her feet, and he opened his mouth, letting it move without any voice coming out of his mouth.

 _I'm here. I'm here._ He croaked out. _Look at me. Please._

Her head snapped downwards, and her beautiful brown eyes clashed with his green ones. An emotion that was far too pure and untainted for him welled in her eyes along with her tears, and she sniffled and rubbed them away before stretching out a hand.

 _I see you._ She seemed to tell him.

He reached out, and their hands clasped around each other.

* * *

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND I'M SORRY FOR THE WAIT!**

 **A freakishly long chapter shall be my present to you. It's at least 30 pages. I hope all my readers enjoy it *dies***

 **I'm sorry it took so long! I had many ideas for this chapter so I kept re writing and re writing until I found a perfect route to take this on. It took a long time, but this is it! Restart part 1! The first climax of the 'Izuku and Katsuki' Arc. Ochako and I will work slowly on Izuku, and present all of you fluff, happiness with a dash of angst here and there.**

 **To all my readers who love Izuku: I hope you don't hate me for what I made him here. He's still a lovable little bean, don't worry, and I don't plan on hurting him too much. Like I said, making him into the leader of the LOV (League of Villains) is a path that is too cliché and predictable. Get ready for what's going to happen next!**

 **To all my readers who hate Katsuki: I know! He's a colossal pain in the butt, and as you can see in this chapter, just breaking his jaw won't break his spirit. Don't worry, Ochako isn't done with him yet, nor am I, I assure you. He will change, just you wait.**

 **I don't know when the next chapter will be done because I have so many ideas and I need to lay them out, plan them and what not, but if it's this long, maybe another month. If it's shorter, which I plan it to be, two to three weeks at most. I hope you will still continue reading this!**

 **Love all of you, and although it's a little late, Merry Christmas and Happy 2018! I hope this year will treat you better than 2017!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	12. Chapter 11: One bang of truth

**-"In this world, things happen that you can't even think of."- One Midoriya Izuku.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 11: One bang of truth**

I was not pacing.

"Ochako," Shouto called my name.

I was not, in any way, pacing.

"Ochako," Shouto called my name once more in his monotone voice.

I was not, never, not even a single bit-

"Ochako, a ditch is forming at your feet." Shouto sighed, gripping my shoulder to stop me from moving. "Calm down."

I looked down and indeed as the half and half said, a shallow line was forming in the concrete path we were both on. I was baffled at how I seemed to do all of that without even being conscious of my actions.

I sucked in a deep breath and deflated. "I know, I know, I know! It's just you know," I swiveled around and held Shouto's shoulders in a vice grip. The taller boy didn't even flinch as he continued staring at me.

" _I'm terrified as hell._ " I whimpered, slowly starting to bang my head on his chest. "What if he hates me? What if he doesn't want to talk to me? Oh god, what if he never wants to show his face in front of me ever again?!"

Shouto pulled me away from his body exasperatedly. "You'll be fine. Stop worrying. You're not the most fantastically awesome nine year old in the universe for nothing." He encouraged me, his eyes reflecting warmth and gentleness. "It's okay. You're not alone. I'm here for you." He reached down to squeeze my hand. I felt the familiar chill of his skin seep into my heated one.

I took in a deep breath and straightened my back, exhaling soon after. "Alright. Alright, I got this. I'm not alone, I've done this kind of thing before, and I'll be fine."

Shouto nodded.

I looked forward to face the mansion. It was a simple building and a normal mansion that existed anywhere in the city. I headed on in with Shouto beside me, taking the elevator up to the floor where a certain apartment laid. When we reached that certain floor, I started marching like a badass American soldier towards the apartment that read 'Midoriya'.

I sucked in another huge breath. My heart was drumming loudly against my chest as my finger stretched towards the doorbell. Unable to contain my nervous energy, as soon the sound of the small chime rang out, I shouted with a thunderous voice,

" _I AM HERE TO CONQUER YOUR LAND!"_

"No we are not. It's Uraraka Ochako and Todoroki Shouto." Shouto countered beside me, his voice firm as if I didn't just shout out a battle cry from the samurai movie we watched yesterday.

I deflated and wanted to smack my head against a stone pillar until my brains fell out.

It was silent for what I felt to be a million decades when the door softly creaked open. A small tuff of green peaked out from the space between the door and the wall, and guarded, dark green eyes cautiously stared at us from behind the door.

"…Hi." Midoriya Izuku's voice was soft and quivering, but I could hear it.

"…Hey." I lowered my voice to match his, a small smile taking over my face. My grip on Shouto's hand tightened, but Shouto didn't show any signs of that. He nodded his head at Midoriya and mustered a small smile of his own.

It had been two days after the accident in the city. When I found Midoriya and was trying to find the red car while dragging him along, Tenko had appeared out of nowhere and grabbed both of us. He cursed and swore at me, but he brought us back to said vehicle and we managed to drive away in haste. It was awfully cramped with five people in the backseat, but we somehow managed to all stay in one piece. After we entered the residential area which was safe from harm so far, we were introduced to each other.

Bakugou Mitsuki and Bakugou Masaru. I held my tongue when Mitsuki introduced Bakugou Katsuki and tried my best not to make any snarky comments about the injury on his jaw. The way he glared at me might as well have been a death threat.

Midoriya Inko and Midoriya Izuku. I was on guard in case the blonde redirected his anger towards the silent green boy, but nothing violent happened and I was extremely relieved. It seemed like even he had the common sense to not bully a son in front of two mothers.

When the oddball trio that was us introduced ourselves, Mitsuki jumped at us and hugged us, thanking us for saving her 'ungrateful son'. Inko joined the hug and thanked me the most, nearly crying when I just told her it was no big deal. This led for us to be invited to their houses for a cup of tea and whatnot, but Tenko refused and told them that I was nearly going to faint if we didn't go home soon. He was right, the thumping and nausea got worse until I blacked out on the spot.

When I woke up the next day, the reason for the giant earthquake was still unknown. I had chalked it up to a villain attack instinctively, but that may have not been the case. That day, Tenko informed me that both Inko and Mitsuki wanted us to come over to their house thank us. He even got their house number.

I chickened out and told him I would think about it. He slapped me on the head and told me to go to Midoriya's house the next day with Shouto. I asked whether he would go but he refused, saying that he didn't want to play with a couple of kids. I think he just didn't want to make Midoriya uncomfortable because of his 'intimidating' appearance, but I didn't say anything and just smiled knowingly.

He chucked me out of his room the moment my face muscles twitched.

So here we were, standing in front of a small apartment. Shouto was unusually calm and I was freaking out. Midoriya was looking at us as if we were UMAs. I thought we would have to stay in this awkward situation for a bit more until another set of footsteps approached us, and the door opened wider to reveal a little frazzled Midoriya Inko. She was dressed in a plain pastel yellow shirt and a long, flowing pink skirt. Her hair was messily tied into a bun and a few bags were under her eyes, but said green eyes were sparkling with mirth and she seemed to look happier when she saw us. Her apron was a little dirtied, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for being late! I had to set up the table and everything! Welcome, come on in!" Inko greeted us with a lovely smile that could melt any icy cold heart. I glanced to the side to see Shouto's smile widen a bit before I returned with a full blown smile.

"Thank you for having us! It's nice to see you again!" I said cheerfully as she gestured us to enter her abode.

"Sorry for intruding." Shouto greeted as we took off our shoes at the entrance. Midoriya was hiding behind Inko now, peering at us from behind her long skirt. The way he acted around us was so rigid and careful. His actions reminded me of a small puppy, or a really shy kindergartener, I mused in my head as the four of us entered the living room.

I looked around. It wasn't too big, but it had an air of comfort and warmth to it. The room was decorated simply; it had a couch, a TV, and a potted plant at the entrance. Pictures hung on the walls, but there weren't much to see and not a single All Might poster was in sight. This change had sent a sting of sadness to my heart, but I pushed it away and focused on the dining table that was also in the room.

The moment I saw the dishes laid out on the dining table, drool practically spilled out of my mouth.

"I made quite a bit, so I hope that at least one dish is suited to your tastes." Inko smiled warmly at us as she gestured us to seat. I wasted no time and rushed toward the heavenly looking buffet, plopping my butt on the wooden chair eagerly.

"Oh, my god, this smells amazing!" I gaped at all the sparkling food. "Thank you so much! From the bottom of my heart!" I almost felt tears pour from my eyes. I even sniffled a little.

Salisbury steak, omelet, so many wonderful looking dishes were presented to us. Even the steaming bowl of white rice looked amazing. It was truly a sight from heaven, especially to poor folks like me who almost always ate instant ramen for lunch. It wasn't like mother didn't cook, on the contrary her meals were absolutely wonderful as well, but because both her and father were always working so she didn't have much time to make Tenko and I complicated dishes.

Shouto nodded along with me, but took out a handkerchief and passed it to me, which I used to wipe my eyes. "Sorry about that, she's just emotionally unstable now. She'll be fine." I kicked his leg the moment he sat on his chair. He shot me a small deadpan stare.

Inko laughed merrily, seeming happy at our reaction. "I don't mind at all, I'm just glad that you seem to like my cooking! Now come, let's eat."

I couldn't have asked for a better lunch. I was seated next to Shouto, while the two Midoriya's were sitting from across us. It was a little awkward at first, with Shouto and Midoriya being quiet while Inko tried her best to talk, and I was just pigging out on all the food, but it got better afterwards. Shouto started replying more with just a nod of his head, and I started to pitch in the conversation as well. Only Midoriya was completely silent during the whole thing, and he ate the less out of the four of us. I was worried, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable with my questioning.

So I waited until we finished eating and when Inko was washing the dishes before I finally interacted with the small green bush. The three of us were just sitting around in the living room, I was on the couch with Shouto while Midoriya was on the chair across from us, and also because Shouto kept looking at me as if to tell me to hurry up.

"Hey, Midoriya?" I hesitantly called his name. His shoulders stiffened in that instant, and he hesitantly nodded without facing me, just implying the fact that he had heard my voice. A tinge of disappointment hit me, but I shook that feeling away and tried to speak in a concerned yet energetic tone,

"A-are you okay? I mean, like, are you okay mentally too, not just physically, and well, I'm just kind of worried and well, I was wondering if, if you aren't opposed to the idea-"

Crap, I was panicking, I was freaking out. Luckily for me, my rambling was cut off by Shouto who had silently gripped my shoulder in support.

"She meant to ask whether we can come over more often to play with you." He stated in a calm tone, completely unlike my nervous jittering. Midoriya, who was apparently shocked at our offer, raised his head in a second, his green eyes focused on our two figures.

"P-play?" His cracked voice resounded, asking one more time as that word was completely foreign to him. My heart ached for a second.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. This boy in front of me was still unsure of himself, and still very much lost. Even if he had accepted my help (I think?), he was still most likely not used to the concept of having friends who looked out for him.

A memory from a long time ago popped up in my head, and I recalled lost, sad gray and blue eyes. My lips twitched a little. In a way, he was like Shouto when I first met him, and that thought gave me a strange comfort.

As my heartbeat slowed down, I nodded and formed a small smile. "We want to be your friends. Is it okay?" I asked him gently, my words soft and mellow.

His eyes averted from mine, swimming around the room. I saw his throat move as if he was gulping down a huge ball of fear and nerves, but eventually, his eyes came back to ours and his head moved vertically. It was a small action, and if I wasn't observing him I wouldn't have noticed, but it sent a spark of joy through my heart.

My smile widened into a grin. I stood from my position on the couch and scooted closer to the boy, standing in front of him before kneeling. Midoriya's eyes widened even more as he continued to look at me in shock. I kept my grin, beaming at him from below as he blinked in confusion.

"Thank you," I whispered in a soft voice, quiet enough for only the two of us to hear. "For letting me in."

His breath hitched. For a second, both of us did nothing but stare into each other's eyes. His lips were bitten slightly, and I could see bandages peeking out from his shirt, the red ring around his neck fainter but still visible. His fingers were shaking, but he intertwined his two hands together, as if willing himself to stop shivering. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately decided against it and just nodded his head once more.

Inko chose this moment to peak her head out of the kitchen. "Ochako-chan, Shouto-kun! I have some cake for desert, do you want any?"

I brightened up the moment she mentioned cake, and I stood up excitedly, waving my hand up in the air. "I do!"

Midoriya was surprised at my sudden action, but his eyes practically bulged out of his skull when Shouto raised his hand as well with a small smile. "I do too."

The fact that he didn't seem to expect Shouto to like sweet treats sent a wave of laughter throughout my body, and before I knew it, I was rolling on the floor in laughter as the two boys looked at me strangely, Shouto with a tired smile and Midoriya with a confused tilt of his head.

 **XXX**

I didn't know why I ended up in this situation.

"God, Jesus, Pokémon god whoever the heaven you are, please send me luck and the jewel of life." I muttered under my breath as I was face to face with a glaring Katsuki, a laughing Mitsuki and a smiling Masaru, all on my own at the doorstep. I cursed the fact that the day I decided to see the Bakugou family was the day that Tenko slept in and Shouto had a training day.

Their house was huge. It looked beautiful and simple, yet had a touch of elegance to it as well. It even had two balconies. Alas, this house was nothing compared to the Todoroki mansion in size and richness, but it was still quite impressive compared to Midoriya's. Then again, Bakugou's dad was quite a famous fashion designer, Shouto's dad despite the asshole he is, is still technically the number two hero, and Inko was just a nurse working at the local hospital. How unfair this world was.

"Hahaha, Masaru, I like this girl!" Mitsuki declared, jabbing a finger in my direction as her red eyes glinted gleefully. "She's got guts, that's for sure! Who knew she was the one who cracked this little brat's jaw!"

Mitsuki had blonde hair that defied gravity the same way Bakugou Katsuki's did, but it was a lot tamer and had a hint of elegance to it. If you looked carefully, Bakugou Mitsuki actually had a lot more elegance that you would think. She was wearing a simple white blouse with a red cardigan over it, and a skirt that showed off her long legs, and her posture was so straight I would've mistaken her to be a dancer of some sorts. Her boisterous personality though, was definitely in the family blood.

"She's definitely one of a kind." The kindly man hummed lightly, agreeing with his wife as he smiled gently at me.

Bakugou Masaru's hair was a shade darker than both his family members, but it was still blonde. His kind, dark red eyes gave me a sense of serenity behind his glasses. Although his personality was nowhere as loud as his wife and son, I had the feeling if it wasn't for him, the house would've turned into a broken warehouse a long, long time ago. He had the feeling of a rock that kept his family rooted together, no matter how feeble he seemed.

My eye slightly twitched, but I tried my best to smile despite the little brat glaring daggers at me. I snickered inwardly when I saw the bandages wrapped around his head and jaw once more. "So, I'm guessing Sparky over there told you?"

Mitsuki nodded between her laughter and ruffled my hair with so much force my hair started to stick up in different directions. "You're pretty special if you can stand up to my Katsuki like that! The little brat's been put on a pedestal his entire life, it's a good change for once!"

I stifled my own laughter, having a great feeling that I was going to get along swimmingly with the older woman. I wiggled my eyebrows jokingly, "I'm pretty sure I did the world a favor."

She howled even more and quickly ushered me in. I gladly did so, a huge smile taking over my face. The scent of another wonderful lunch was invading my nose, and to be honest, I was excited. I got to eat free food, not to mention that it tasted good. If you added up all the plus factors in this situation, it might even nullify the bad.

I was severely underestimating Bakugou Katsuki, the boy who had an ability to irritate the fuck out of me and harass me in dumb, shitty ridiculous ways.

When we were at the dining table, the little fucker wouldn't stop kicking my chair since he was seated next to me. By chance he would hit my ankles or shin, and I had to bite my lip to prevent him from knowing that he had done me any damage. He kept hitting me with his elbow when we were eating, and despite Mitsuki yelling at him to stop it, he wouldn't listen. He even snuck chili sauce into my food so many times my tongue lost its taste buds.

I was pissed off, tired, and severely wanted to give the shitty spitfire another crack in the skull.

"Feel free to look around! Katsuki, you better behave and be her guide! I'm going to wash the dishes!" Mitsuki called from the kitchen. "Masaru, help me!"

"Well, you heard her." Masaru chuckled fondly as he stood up from his position on the couch. He reached out to pat both of our heads, with me letting him while Katsuki swatting at his hand. "It's a little spacious, so be careful not to get lost. I hope you have fun. Coming, dear!" Masaru answered as he walked away from us and into the kitchen.

I studied the frowning blonde for a moment before jumping off of the couch, noticing his red eyes following my movements. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I sent him a small smirk.

"So, are you gonna be a bad host or what?" I teased him, enjoying the way his eyebrow twitched. "I've met a lot more hosts who are better than you are." I said those words clearly and loud for him to hear, and I knew it did the trick when both of his eyes twitched. He let out a very angry grumble from his throat and jumped off the couch, jerking his head as if to tell me to follow him.

I was quite surprised, it seemed like Bakugou Katsuki wasn't completely an unrestrained beast. He showed me around without talking, and to be honest, it wasn't much help but his jaw was broken. I just randomly guessed the use of the rooms as he showed me. No two room was decorated the same, and although there was no lavish furniture or any of the sort, it gave off a warm and cozy feeling of home. That was a little surprising for me considering the type of person Mitsuki was, but Masaru did seem like the type who liked simplicity.

When Bakugou paused in front of a room that had a sign 'Katsuki' scribbled in bright red crayon, I made myself at home and pushed the door open, strolling into the room like I owned the place. I heard an indignant strain behind me, but I paid no mind as I scanned his private area.

The first thing that I thought: All Might.

Literally, there was All Might everywhere in the room. Posters of the number one hero were plastered on the walls next to other pictures and colorful drawings, and All Might figurines and toys were lined up neatly on the shelves next to the textbooks and books on them. A game console that looked suspiciously like the newest model was lying on his desk, and a workbook which I deemed to be homework was laid out wide in the open beside it. His bed, while the sheets were a simple pale yellow, the pillow cover was literally All Might's face.

It was, to put it nicely, what I imagined Midoriya's room to be. I knew Bakugou looked up to All Might, but I never expected him to actually collect his stuff until his room was literally an otaku storage.

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

"Holy shit, you're a fucking nerd!" I hollered out in laughter, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I fell to the ground in a heap of laughter, hitting the floor like a madwoman as I rolled around. I snuck a glance at the blonde to see his face dyed a bright red, his mouth scrunching into an ugly growl as his eyes turned white glaring at me. I couldn't stop the laughter; it just spilled out of me like an overflowing waterfall, just like my tears.

I was so busy guffawing that I didn't notice Bakugou locking the door and pouncing on me.

His fist shot out and made contact with my face. I, letting my guard down, took that hit completely. His fist kissed my nose, and it would be a lie to say that it didn't hurt, but luckily for me, I had my shoulder busted by shark teeth when I was seven, so it didn't render me frozen. After taking that shot from the feisty spark, I reached out to grab his wrist tightly. I moved my body beside his flying one and used his momentum to flip him over onto the floor, the back of his head knocking the ground lightly. He let out a hiss of pain, and his other hand went up to cover his head. I didn't waste any time and pinned both of his arms to the wooden floor while riding on him, my legs trapping his legs. I was careful not to hurt him too badly as his jaw was already broken. We didn't need another nasty incident happening when I visited the Bakugou household for the first time after all.

He looked surprised at how fast he was taken down, but furious determination exploded in his eyes as his hand sparked. I bit my lip when his palms exploded as my hands could feel the heat from his wrists, but I didn't flinch nor made any other signs of backing down no matter how much he activated his quirk.

His eyes were widened with shock as he panted lightly from his nose, his mouth set in a straight line. He seemed so struck with confusion and disbelief at my indifference towards his quirk, and eventually, the sparks stopped. A small slick of blood threatened to drip out of my nose, but I wiped it on my sleeve, refusing to let any of the liquid hit the floor. I let a smirk take control of my face, trying to seem as cocky as I could with a slightly bleeding nose.

"Well, not like I wasn't expecting this, but damn, you'd think you'd learned your lesson by now." I taunted him, my grin widening even more as the fire in his eyes flickered harshly. He squirmed, but I refused to let him have his freedom, gripping his hands up above his head even more firmly and squeezing my legs together. His palms sparked once more, the heat nearly searing the skin on my knuckles.

"Now look here blondie, you and me? We just met and I already…hate is too strong of a word, why don't we go with distaste?" I muttered under my breath and refocused on his blood red eyes. "I absolutely distaste you." I snarled, pushing my face closer to his until our foreheads were touching. He tried to use his head to push me back as a growl erupted from his throat, but I kept his head to the ground.

"You're such a hotshot, aren't you? Using your flashy quirk and all that? You think you're the best don't you?" I spat out, venom coating my every words. With his mouth immobilized, his eyes told me everything. Anger, indignation, humiliation, every negative emotion I could remember was reflected in those small red orbs.

"Newsflash, you're not. No matter how strong you get, I guarantee I will beat you down. If not me, someone else in this world will." I grounded out, our glares making sparks fly.

I felt a sickness churning in me when I looked into those eyes, and I didn't know why. They were haunting, engraving themselves into the back of my mind. Those eyes spelt trouble; those eyes told me that there was something wrong with owner of them. Something was terribly wrong with Bakugou Katsuki, but maybe it had always had been there, even in Canon. A deep emotion rooted in him that turned into a troublesome and twisted complex. It taunted him, it provoked him until his limit, and the only way he knew how to release it was to take it out on somebody weaker than him, Midoriya Izuku.

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was taking, and I pushed myself off of him, releasing his body from my hold. He let out a sudden sound of surprise as I turned my back to him and walked towards the door. I put my hand on the doorknob, unlocking it as I angled my head to look back at Bakugou with a hard gaze.

The boy who was getting up from his position on the floor paused in his movements. His eyes studied me cautiously now, unlike the childish anger and irritation he had looked at me before. I didn't know what prompted him to become wary of me when the only trait of his younger self was being reckless, but I didn't bother to think about it. I needed to get out of here. A familiar emotion was pulling me towards him, but I didn't want to feel any source of remorse or pity. He didn't need kindness; he didn't need any more ass-kissers. He didn't need me.

"Don't mess with Izuku anymore." I told him, my brown eyes never leaving his. "He's with me now. You mess with him, I'll make sure that your jaw isn't the only thing broken next time."

I swung open the door to find Mitsuki standing there with her hands crossed over her chest. Her blood red eyes that seemed so much like her son's swerved down to meet mine. I stared up at her and nodded, bowing my head downwards in a polite nod.

"Thank you for having me over. Lunch was delicious. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid your son hates me and to be honest, I distaste him too." I raised my head, but I didn't meet her eyes.

A soft hand roughly ruffled my hair, and a kind voice reached my ears. "It's fine. Take care on the way home. Masaru will see you out. Now excuse me,"

The hand lifted from my head, and I heard knuckles cracking. "My son and I need to have a little chat. Goodbye Ochako."

She entered the room behind me, closing and locking the door. I faced forward and walked, thanking the kind man as he waved goodbye to me. I pretended to be ignorant of the shouting as I left the house.

As my steps kicking off the pavement grew stronger and faster, I tried to run like my life depended on it as I rushed to the nearest bus stop.

Damn it, I forgot what time the fucking bus arrived!

 **XXX**

" _It is our deepest apologies that we still yet, do not know of the reason behind the massive earthquake-"_

" _Scientists have announced that there is a chance of it being a freak accident of nature instead-"_

" _Villain attacks have been-"_

I groaned, putting my head lazily on the table. "Bullshit, I tell you. It's definitely a villain, damn it, anybody with ears could hear that massive roar! It's not a natural disaster, what other possible reason could there be!" I waved my hand up sluggishly in the air with my head still on Midoriya's floor table.

Midoriya was silent across from me, his pencil diligently scribbling on his workbook while Shouto lowered the radio from beside him. Shouto glanced up at me, seeing that my hand hadn't moved an inch since we started the study lesson at Midoriya's apartment.

"Ochako, it's only a few problems left. Don't stop." He closed his own workbook, signaling that his own homework was done.

I peered up from my position on the table, blowing a few strands of hair out of my face. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it…" I mumbled to myself as I unwillingly pushed myself back into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes.

"It's just, it's so weird, don't you think? The city's patching up bit by bit since it's been a week already, but they still don't know the damn reason for the cause? It's so weird especially in a society like this own." I grumbled, my pencil tapping on the table instead of doing its supposed mission.

It was another summery hot day. The Uraraka state being nearly a boiler, I decided to go over to Shouto's place, but when I called, he told me that his dad was back and I did not want to meet the fucking bastard again. Being so, we both decided to dial Midoriya, and although hesitant at first, he agreed to us coming over. It was a little far from both of our houses, but a small trip on a bus was worth it.

I was so happy I levitated myself off the ground and moon walked on the ceiling before Tenko threw a box of Oreos at me.

Holding my trusty box of snacky goodness to snack on while we lounged about, the three of us were now in the air conditioned Midoriya Izuku's room, doing homework. Why?

Shouto being the annoyingly accurate psychic he was, guessed that I didn't even spit on my homework.

He was right.

So here we were, being all friendly and buddly doing homework like normal children. Normal. Blegh.

Well, despite all my sarcasm, it wasn't all bad. I got to spend more time with Midoriya even though we weren't talking much, and I'm pretty sure Shouto and I made Inko's day the moment we showed up on the doorstep. The way her eyes shined and watered told me she was immensely grateful for our visit. Seeing her like that made me feel a warm happiness flutter all around me.

That being said, I hated boring stuff. So I dug around in my pockets and whipped out a poster I ripped off from the side of a shop.

"Hey guys, look at this." I tried to smoothen out the crumpled paper enough that it was actually identifiable. Shouto peered at the rumpled poster while Midoriya's eyes flickered to it curiously.

The poster was an advertisement for the annual summer festival at a shrine near the city. It was going to be held tomorrow all day long, but the main event that everyone went for were the fireworks. They started around seven and were the most beautiful fireworks I had ever seen, I could guarantee that. I used to go to the festival with my family many times, but I missed it last year because I was at the hospital with Tenko. We watched the fireworks from the balcony even though he protested and whined, but when I dragged his sorry ass out to watch it, he became quiet.

That in a way was a fond memory too, and I was hell set on making this year another fond memory for the three of us.

Shouto blinked as he voiced the title on the poster out loud, "Annual fireworks festival? I've never been to a festival before." He murmured, making Midoriya look at him with widened eyes. I let a small breath of laughter pass my lips at the disbelief apparent in the smaller boy's face.

"Midoriya, Shouto's been sheltered all his life, so he's your junior when it comes to stuff like this." I teased my best friend, nudging his arm with a pencil. He flicked my hand away but looked seriously at Midoriya and bowed. Midoriya started to make gurgling noises, his hands abandoning his homework and coming up to cover his flushed face.

It was cute, and it made my heart squeeze. He was opening up to us, albeit very, very slowly, but it was better. He was communicating a bit more.

"So, what do you say gentlemen?" I wiggled my eyebrows at the two of them. "You up for it?"

Shouto raised his head from his bow, and nodded, a flicker of happiness touching his eyes. He didn't show it much, but he was excited. I could tell by the way his lips curled up and his cheeks tinted a slight pink.

Midoriya was a little more hesitant compared to Shouto, but I reached out and grabbed his hand comfortingly. He jerked a little, but didn't push me away. His green eyes darted up slowly to meet my eyes, and I smiled at him.

"Come on, I promise I won't let you get lost or anything. Our families will be along for the ride. Hey, Inko-san can come too!" I chuckled good-naturedly.

He curled his lips, thinking over his decision, before he nodded. My smile widened, and I let go of his hand, letting out a loud whoop as I punched my fist upwards.

"Alright! Let's make this summer one we'll never forget!"

 **XXX**

The lights from the lanterns were bright, as were the endless chatter and noise made by the people around them. The cicadas sung, the slightly chiller air of the night completely taken over by the heat from the stands and the amazing smell of fried food.

It was thirty minutes before seven, but the festival showed no signs of ending. In fact, it seemed to get even livelier. Then again, the main event was the fireworks at seven, so it would make sense that it would only get more crowded from now on, Izuku muttered to himself softly.

"…Well, we're lost." The brown haired girl laughed sheepishly, her hand going up to scratch the back of her neck. Izuku snuck a glance beside him, and his heart seemed to do a somersault once more.

Uraraka looked, for a lack of a better word, utterly lost, but also unworried at the same time. Her big brown eyes were full of confusion; yet, her posture didn't seem tense at all. She was completely relaxed, and it led Izuku to think that she was used to getting lost with a stranger (Were they? They were friends… What were friends again?).

Rewind a few hours and a day backwards.

When Izuku was still not used to the concept of having other people talk to him without any insult, she and Todoroki had invited him to go to a summer festival. It had been too long since he went, he didn't even remember the last time he did, but when he told his mother about his plans, water jets literally blasted from her eyes. She blubbered, but he could tell that they were happy tears. He never felt good about making his mother cry, but seeing her look so happy for him sent a wave of warmth to his heart. She was so excited about their little festival plans that she dug out his old yukata and adjusted it to his size in a few hours. Seeing her acting so energetically for the first time in a long while, he couldn't help but feel excited for his small trip as well.

Uraraka Ochako. If he could never forget her then, he definitely couldn't forget her now. She was still an unknown abyss to him, but she… She was kind. She was warm. She didn't let go of his hand. She saw him, and Izuku felt like he could try. He could try and pull himself out of his own hole that he dug for himself, although that itself may take a few million years to accomplish.

They had met up at the station. They had left their house a little too early, so his mother and he were the first one to arrive.

The Uraraka family was next. Uraraka was wearing a black yukata with faded pink flowers blooming across it. Her hair was messily styled into a spiky ponytail, and her brown eyes shined the moment she saw him. He felt his heart clench, and he wondered if it was his cutting urges appearing again or something else messing with his heart.

By her side were three people. The two adults were definitely her parents, a man with broad shoulders and a kind smile, and a woman with pink cheeks and a sunny aura. They were both wearing their own yukata that seemed to match their personality. It was obvious to anyone who saw them that they were family. The third person took a bit of time, but Izuku realized that it was the teen that had carried her back when they first met, and the one who had pulled them both into Kacchan's car. He wasn't wearing a hood surprisingly, but a plain grey yukata with faint white stripes. The way he carried himself was a bit looming and intimidating, especially since he seemed to be glaring at everything in sight. Izuku shivered slightly, wondering how such a person could be related to a happy family.

"Midoriya!" She had exclaimed, running up to him and his mother. He felt his innards twist and his fist clench, but they relaxed when his mother gently put a hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him, but he couldn't seem to muster a smile back and just dipped his head.

He learned that her parents were Uraraka Yuji and Uraraka Hana, and that her 'brother' was Shimura Tenko. It clicked when he heard the teen's last name, they weren't related. Her mother and his seemed to get along well, both chatting and smiling. He was glad that his mother made a friend.

Uraraka had attempted to talk to him a few times, but he couldn't answer very well and just nodded along. Eventually she started talking to Shimura more, and so he mostly just listened instead of participating, but for a strange, unknown reason, he wasn't…lonely.

Todoroki had arrived the last, but instead of an adult, a girl who seemed more likely to be his sister was tagging along. Both siblings were wearing a light blue yukata, the brother's yukata a simple one while his sister's one was adorned with beautiful white and blue snowflakes. He learned that Todoroki's sister's name was Fuyumi, and that both of his parents were unable to come so she decided to tag along instead. Uraraka seemed happy enough, giving the white haired girl a huge jump hug when she spotted them.

The train they took was noisy. It was full of people, and there was hardly space to move around. It seemed like everybody had the same thought in mind to see the fireworks tonight. It was so crowded that even when he finally got a seat, he decided to give it up for the elderly woman who was being pushed around by the wave of people because she seemed like she needed it more than he did.

He was relieved when they finally arrived. The area was bustling with people and life; it was a place he usually wouldn't go to because people… still scared him. God forbid someone he met someone he knew during their visit, he did not want to cause a panic attack right in front of his mother and others. So he held onto his mother's hand tightly and swore to never let go.

Unfortunately, when there was a tsunami of people, eventually he got swept away from the group, and somehow managed to end up with Uraraka. Alone. In a place where he had no idea how to navigate around. At least there weren't so many people around that they would get separated from each other.

…He really hoped that the thundering of his heartbeat wasn't because he wanted to strangle himself now.

Urakra looked back at him, her face painted orange from the lantern lights. She smiled, her eyes crinkling good naturedly. "Well, might as well have as much fun as we can, right?"

He… supposed so. His mother wasn't here, but Uraraka…would never hurt him.

She outstretched an arm, her hand free and beckoning him. Her eyes taking on a gentle shine, her cheeks flushed from the heat as she beamed at him, she looked…

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Let's go, maybe we can find a good spot to see the fireworks! It's a little bit before seven after all!" She grinned, her pearly white teeth showing.

His breath caught in his throat. There it was again. The longing, the heat, the thudding of his heart that told him that he was alive. She was here. She wasn't going anyway.

 _She wasn't like Kacchan. She wasn't going to disappear like him. She was here, and she was looking at him. She will never be like Kacchan._

He wanted to believe his self, but, he was still too scared and scarred to. So instead of grabbing her hand, he let out a deep breath and reached out, gripping the sleeve of her yukata instead. Her hand, although he touched it before, seemed too much for him now.

Not yet. Maybe, next time. But not now. Not when she was still an abyss full of mysteries.

He didn't see her eyes dim, but she pulled on a smile and marched forward anyway, pulling him through the orange tinted path.

 **XXX**

I was disappointed, but I didn't let it show.

Midoriya didn't grab my hand. I had thought that this time would be different for some reason. The way he looked at me when I stretched my arm, it gave me a sense of hope. It told me that he was ready to believe in me. It wasn't a lie to say that my heart plummeted down when he grabbed my sleeve instead.

So he let me in, but he still didn't believe in me enough to show me everything. Fine enough.

I guided him gently along the path of people. I was trying to find a quieter and secluded place to see the fireworks. I didn't want anyone to interrupt us when we talked, and being around noisy people killed the mood.

It took a while, but I managed to find a small spot. It was by the river, to the side of a tall tree. It was quiet and peaceful; nobody seemed to have taken that spot yet. Seeing my chance, I tried to hurry without being too obvious to where we were going, just in case some side snatcher decided to take the spot from us.

When we arrived without any problems, I plopped down ungracefully, not caring if I got my yukata dirty.

"Whew! So, what do you think?" I gestured to the place I found with pride coating my words. "Pretty sweet, eh?"

To be honest, it was. The sounds from the river were calming in comparison to the festival cheer behind us, and the lanterns' warm glow made the entire area seem more like it was part of another world. It was hard to explain, but something about the atmosphere sent warm shivers up my spine. In other words, it may be even considered romantic, but that wasn't why I dragged Midoriya out here for.

I patted the place next to me, trying to smile as reassuringly as I could. He looked hesitant, so I grinned and teased him a little, "I don't bite when it's you Midoriya. Don't worry; the only thing I bite is food and jackass blondes." I wiggled my eyebrows a little.

To my surprise, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch a little. I blinked rapidly just in case I saw an illusion, and Midoriya slowly came down to sit next to me. He brought his knees up to his chin as he rested it in between, and his green eyes stared longingly at the river. I felt my grin melting into a soft smile, and I decided to look at the river as well, putting my hands behind me.

"Well, it's been quite a hectic summer, huh?" I started, feeling a faint sense of déjà vu at the situation. A faint memory of rainy weather and bus stops passed by. "Meeting you, earthquakes, villains, blah blah and other stuff. It's kind of surprising, I never thought I'd be able to speak to you like this."

A small light took my attention. It was warm and soft, and a faint green. I looked at it closely, and saw that the light was coming from fireflies. Tons of them were flying around gently, as if taking a small midnight stroll among the river. I took a small break, watching the small creatures do their thing. It was mystical in a way. A very beautiful way.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard another voice accompany me. "….Yeah. Me too."

I turned my head to see Midoriya staring at the small glow on his hand. His eyes seemed sad now, his expression melting into a melancholy one. "…I'm sorry, for many things. I pushed you into a puddle, and I kind of stole your jacket. …Sorry."

I blinked. Not sure whether to laugh or cry, I opted for looking at the fireflies again and speaking quietly. "It's not your fault. You've had too much stuff on you. Hell, keep the jacket. I can always steal Tenko's."

"…Thank you." His voice grew softer, and fainter, but his words were clear to my ears. "…Thank you."

I let a small smile take over me. "You're welcome."

I heard a small shuffling, and I angled my head so that I could see his movements from the corner of my eye. He just stretched his legs a bit more, his eyes still trained on the soft glow. I let out another breath and looked up at the night sky.

"…Can I ask?"

"Ask away. I'd answer anything as long as it doesn't include the mysteries of the universe."

"…Why, did you save me?" I heard him suck in a breath and exhale deeply, as if trying to steel his nerves. "There's, a whole lot of other people. People who have...amazing quirks, like Todoroki-kun. Why, did you pick me, out of all people?"

The answer came to me naturally, even more naturally than the first time he asked me that question.

"Because I care about you," I answered him. "Because there's only one you in the entire world, and you're special."

He sucked in another breath, this time, his voice was quivering. "…I'm not normal. I've been picked on my whole life for not having a quirk."

"You have a mother who cares for you more than anyone can." I countered, clenching my fists. I willed myself to keep my voice from trembling.

"I'm suicidal. I don't care about myself. I can hurt myself without a single thought. I'm a freak." His voice started to tremble more.

"I care about you. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let you hurt yourself anymore." My voice started to tremble as well, my vision blurring.

His head flipped towards me, his green eyes full of tears and his mouth forming a messy, crooked line. "My best friend turned on me when he got his quirk! Everyone turned on me when I never got mine!"

I stood up, facing him as hot, salty tears spilled out of mine with my fists clenched to my side. "I will never betray you! I don't care if you're quirkless! You're fine just the way you are!"

The dam broke. Tears spilled out of his beautiful green eyes as Izuku tackled me, his arms wrapping around my torso as he pressed his crying screams against me. My knees gave away and we both fell to the ground, my arms coming up to wrap around the head of the crying boy. His locks were thick and messy, and he was small and frail. He was crying, he was holding onto me as if I was his silver thread.

He was here. He wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't running away anymore.

His cries were buffered suddenly by loud bangs and cheers. We both looked up at that moment to see a huge firework light up the sky, showing off with a loud bang. Many small sparks followed it into the air, and the sky was light by beautiful flowers blooming in the night. Green, pink, yellow, red, and all sorts of colors filled the blank canvas that was the darkness above. Both of us went quiet, merely staring at the view in front of us in awe.

It was beautiful.

The slight movement on my lap pulled me back to reality. I looked down to see Izuku slowly getting up from his position. Form the light of the fireworks and lanterns, his face was clear for me to see. His eyes watery, his nose drippy, but his cheeks were flushed in the most adorable soft pink I knew, and-

He smiled.

My heart stopped.

Another firework lit up the sky.

His smile was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. It was pure, untouched, and showed who he really was. A king, warm boy with a heart full of gold. A strong boy who could move forward despite the world being against him, a boy who had hopes and dreams.

It was a smile that stole my heart away.

I felt myself smile back and this time, he didn't flinch when I intertwined our hands together. The cheers and shouts of glee from the people watching seemed so far away. We both looked up at the sky together at the same time, and from that point on, I knew that I would give everything in my body to protect his smile.

Izuku was my friend now, and I wasn't going to let anything hurt him anymore.

 **XXX**

Katsuki let out a low grumble when he saw those two together, but for some reason, his legs didn't move from that spot.

He didn't want to come. He had a bad feeling about the firework's festival, and he was right. He had to see stupid Deku and that shitty round face together. They didn't see him when he tailed them, and they didn't sense him when puny Deku had wept with that mochi face. It was disgusting. The whole thing was disgusting.

 _His best friend betrayed him? What was he even talking about?_

He didn't want to see this any longer. He didn't want to see this view. He didn't want to know why seeing the two of them sent twists and turns in his chest, he wanted to ignore the burning and churning his stomach. The fireworks weren't even that pretty. He didn't know why his mother and father forced him to come anyway.

It seemed like a millennia before his legs finally moved. The two nerds were still in that spot, looking at the night sky when the fireworks were already over. He scowled, turning away.

He pretended not to notice a familiar call of relief when Inko saw her son.

He pretended not to notice a familiar yet not so familiar group pass by him.

He pretended not to notice blood red eyes and gray and blue meet his own before storming off.

He wanted no part of the world Uraraka Ochako created. Stupid Deku could just go away and stay away.

 _He didn't betray him. Katsuki wasn't wrong, Katsuki was never wrong. Deku was. Deku was always wrong._

* * *

 **Sweet damn, is Katsuki stubborn or what?**

 **Thank you for reading this again my lovely readers. Thank you for all your wonderful favorites, follows and reviews. I almost have a hundred reviews and I really want to give my hopefully-soon-to-be-hundredth reviewer a big hug and a digital cookie. Also, I recommend reading this chapter with peaceful/sad music on, especially during the ending. It really sets the mood.**

 **Notice: Izuku has joined your party. Rank: Quirkless (Undiscovered Hero).**

 **There will be a few more of these fluff filled chapters coming! I'm planning at least two big events happening to the lovely trio sometimes quartet before the 'main' plot begins. I hope you enjoy what's to come!**

 **I have decided to answer your questions by pm from this chapter onwards, but not always. Only when I have time! Also, I'm not going to be answering questions concerning the plot, just questions that are like 'I don't really get this part?' Stuff like that. Spoilers are best left unsaid.**

 **I kind of also really want a proper cover for this story since it's getting popular. ...Are there any artists out there that could draw one for me? Ahaha, of course if no one wants to, it's fine too! Ahaha...**

 **Well well, bye bye, see you in February!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	13. Chapter 12: Two flashes of doubt

**-"The deeper the darkness, the more dazzling the light shines."- Midoriya Izuku.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 12: Two flashes of doubt**

"You have been invited to the annual hero gala, huh…" A beautiful woman let out a sigh, dropping the envelope on the table. Her long white hair brushed against the wooden surface of the furniture as she leaned forward, rubbing her temples with her long fingers.

"That man…What does he intend for me to do?"

"My dear daughter, what is wrong?" An elderly woman entered the room. Her icy, coal black eyes made contact with the woman sitting at the table, her white hair pinned up in a neat bun. The traditional Japanese attire she wore seemed to give off a refined and sharp air about her, and the way she held herself did no less to lessen the intimidating aura she emitted.

Fuyuka's own black eyes opened and turned to look at her mother. She gave off a weak smile, standing up from her seat. "It's no problem, mother. I just received an invitation from my husband to attend the annual hero gala."

"Ahh, the big event for all the 'heroes'." Fuyuka's mother nodded, her voice cold and sharp, showing her distaste for the word. "Young heroes, I can't imagine any hero acting like that during my day. Holding an event where all the 'popular' heroes assemble. I don't suppose you plan on going, do you?"

Fuyuka lifted a dainty arm and waved at the elderly woman. "Absolutely not. As much as I am married to the number two hero, I am not one myself. I do not plan on going."

The woman let out a small sigh and closed her eyes. "That is smart of you. Fuyuka, Kogori has brought back another job. I don't suppose you can support him?"

Fuyuka smiled, her facial features softening. "Of course, I would do anything for my nephew."

The traditional woman nodded once more, expressing her content. This time however, the slightly warmer expression on her face disappeared, and the cold atmosphere to the woman returned. "Do not mother him on any case. They are the same age, but he is not your son."

Fuyuka blinked, surprised at the assumption before pulling a smile back onto her face. "Of course, mother. Shouto and Kogori aren't anything alike, and I do not plan on being soft on him."

"Very well. He is in the training room. Do your best."

"I will."

As Fuyuka looked back at the neatly folded envelope on the table, she wondered about her son. She wondered if her kind, strong and beautiful Shouto was still doing okay, was he still with that lovely brown haired girl, or was Enji giving him trouble once more? She hoped that Enji didn't do anything to him; she would have to pay him a visit if he did.

That reminded her, it was almost Sunday. Shouto's phone calls were always on Sundays, she mused to herself as she walked out of the room, the sleeve of her black kimono swaying as she moved.

 **XXX**

Well, I wasn't expecting this much change, to be honest.

A year had passed ever since Izuku opened up to me at the summer festival. After that, he was still a little bit shy and quiet around Shouto, but that period didn't last too long. Before I knew it, he was talking with my best friend with a hesitant smile on his face and the three of us started hanging out more. We studied, watched TV, even though Shouto's house and mine were pretty far from Izuku's, we didn't let any of that stop us.

" _O-ochako…chan."_

" _Zuku, just call me Ochako! Shouto's been doing it the moment we met!"_

" _Ahahaha…Sorry, I'm just not used to it…"_

" _What about me?"_

" _S-shouto…kun."_

"…"

"… _.We need to work on this."_

" _Ehehe…Sorry."_

Then, the topic of heroes came up.

Izuku wasn't trying to be a hero, at least, not anymore, he told me. He revealed everything to me, well, Shouto and I, about how he used to love All Might so much that he wanted to be just like him, until he found out that he would forever be quirkless. He didn't give up at the start, observing heroes and analyzing them, just to find a way that he could be a hero without a quirk. It was around this time where he started getting bullied. Katsuki, who was once best friends with him (I could never imagine that blondie smiling and laughing like a good child to be honest), started to pick on him as well, and soon, there was no one around to support his ambitions. He felt betrayed, stabbed in the back by the only person he could call a friend.

 _Memories of a happy past flashed through my mind, one of a smiling little boy with another by his side._

He believed that his mother didn't as well, no matter how much she stayed by his side and loved him.

So he threw them away. All the notebooks, his hard work, his proof of his dream. He abandoned everything important to him. He thought that if he gave up his foolish, impossible dream, the bullies would leave him alone.

It didn't stop, no, it only got worse.

Katsuki started getting more violent. Sharp words turned into blasts and burns, scars and bruises. Izuku didn't understand why he was being beaten up so badly, why everyone seemed to pick on him. Then he realized; it wasn't his unattainable dream that didn't sit well with the world.

It was the fact that he was born quirkless. It was entire existence, his whole being that was hated by everyone.

He didn't know what to do. He was hurt so badly for a reason he couldn't fix. It wasn't like he could throw his uselessness away, it wasn't like his dreams and notebooks. Negative emotions started pilling and pilling, and before he knew it, his hand reached for scissors and cutting knives. He started to hate himself. He started to think that he deserved to be pushed away. He wanted to be free; he didn't want to be hurt anymore, but there was no way out. He was trapped in this world where god hated him forever.

Then Katsuki told him to jump off a roof and wish for a quirk in his next life.

That was it, the nine year old him had thought.

I hugged him as he spilled his tragedy out with desperate pleading and wails of loneliness. I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could, erasing his sobs from the world. Shouto was awkward at first, but he swaddled over to us and put his arms around the both of us, his left side warming us and keeping us safe from the coldness of the December temperature. We just sat on his bed that day, comforting Izuku and whispering words of reassurance. It could have been my imagination, but I swore Inko's eyes were rimmed red when both Shouto and I left.

After that occurrence, Izuku changed. He started to be more comfortable around us. He started to be braver and talk more, although there were still scars and glimpses of his hurt self, he was recovering, and you would never know how relieved I was when I saw him smiling the next day.

One of the things we did together was training, or more Izuku watching Shouto and I spar. He never seemed too keen on fighting himself, he always refused our offers to join, but I didn't miss the way his eyes shone longingly whenever Shouto froze the ground, or when I lifted a see-saw to smack the half frozen boy's head. He wanted a quirk; he wanted to be able to fight.

So, I thought up a plan, and dragged him in.

He protested, saying that he would only drag us down, that he would be in the way, but I dismissed all his complains and excuses. We started with easy exercises, sit-ups, squats, pushups, simple muscle training that would help build his body, and of course, running. He was panting and heaving before we even finished one set, but he was smiling. Very, very faintly, but he wasn't frowning, at least.

I didn't stop there. Shouto started putting together training menus for the three of us, and I helped. Izuku was still hesitant, but he was more willing compared to the start. He started to pitch in more into our training, offering small bits of information that surprisingly, neither Shouto nor I knew. It wasn't so surprising that he knew more than me, but Shouto? Maybe he had researched on physical training before his world came crashing down after all.

He was hard-working and diligent. He never gave up half-way no matter how tired he was, and that part of him was something that I admired. I knew he was as stubborn as hell when his mind was set on something, our meetings being proof, so I wasn't all that surprised. Shouto was impressed with him, his double colored eyes shone with pride and happiness whenever Izuku finished a set and came up to him with a happy smile.

To be honest, making him feel better and making our bonds stronger wasn't the only reason why I dragged him in. It was also to prepare him for 'One for All'. The canon Izuku suffered so many wounds because his body was built too quickly in a year, and he didn't have any time to get used to his quirk when the U.A. entrance exam came. If he started building his body from now, he would have at least four to five years to prepare, and at least a year to get used to his new quirk if All Might decided to give it to him early. If I could, I'd prevent all the wounds and scars he gained in the canon universe with the limited amount of time we had.

Maybe he wouldn't go to U.A, maybe he gave up on his dream to be a hero forever, but there was still hope. He was kind and understood pain, although a little twisted because of his bullied past, he had the power to protect people. He would be a magnificent hero, and I would get his dream back for him, even if I had to buy endless amounts of hero magazines to show him, or drag him to the place of villain busting action. He was born to be a hero; I knew that the best.

I just never imagined how horrible the next five years would be.

 **XXX**

Shouto's footsteps thumped against the wooden floor as he headed to his father's room. He was puzzled, his father was rarely home, and when he was, he usually never made any contact with Shouto anymore. His sudden change had surprised and disturbed the ten year old boy greatly, but as time passed, it became natural. That was why when Enji had arrived so suddenly at home and requested for Shouto to be in his room in an hour, Shouto's senses were on guard.

The last time he had been alone with his father was two years ago, and that memory wasn't a good one. He had hoped to run away, but his grandmother assured him that Enji wasn't back to harm him. He was a little doubtful, but decided to get it over with quickly and never see his face ever again.

He slid open the shoji door to the room, and Enji looked up from his spot on the tatami floor. His cold blue eyes met Shouto's, and the smaller boy tightened his fist slightly.

"Shouto, sit down." Enji's voice boomed across the room, causing Shouto to let out a small, shaky sigh. "We need to talk."

He stiffly nodded and entered, sitting across his father on the floor, a floor table being the only thing between them. If Enji showed any suspicious movement he could use it, Shouto thought absentmindedly, his eyes narrowing at his father.

Enji folded the newspaper in his hands and put it on the table, his eyes facing forward to make contact with his son's once more. "Shouto, do you know about the Annual Hero Gala?"

Shouto blinked, dumbfounded for a second.

Of course he knew about it, hell everyone in Japan knew about it. It was a huge charity ball that was held in the main city in Musutafu once a year. Shouto wasn't so sure about the small details because he never had any interest in it, but he knew that it was a big deal. Not all, but many famous heroes from around Japan gathered at one spot, and the time and place it would be held at would always be random. He had always thought that it was kind of irresponsible -what if a villain struck and there was no one there? - But he supposed that was what sidekicks were for. He figured that his father was invited again this year, but why did he bring up this topic to him?

Enji didn't stop talking, instead, he continued, not caring about the dumbstruck face on the smaller boy's. "I have been invited again this year, and I was thinking of bring you along."

Shouto blinked once more, feeling doubt and hesitation creep into his mind. "…Why?"

"You are already ten years old." Enji spoke, his eyes never leaving Shouto's. "You are old enough to attend, and I think that it is time that we introduce you to the world as my son. The press will be there as it is a rare opportunity to interview all the famous heroes that will gather. It is the perfect chance."

Shouto's fists tightened on top of his thigh. "Why me? Why not my older brothers?"

"You are my perfect creation unlike those failures, it is only normal to."

Shouto restrained himself from bursting into flames, and bit his lip instead. Enji hadn't changed, he was only thinking of Shouto as a thing, a creation between two families. Shouto had thought he had changed even if it was just a tiny bit, but his hopes were shot down the moment Enji spoke that sentence. By the tone of his voice, Shouto didn't have any choice to but attend. If he were to refuse and fight back, there was a chance that Ochako might be used as blackmail. Just like before.

He was the same as before. Nothing changed between him and Shouto at all.

He really wasn't a good hero, Shouto grumbled in the back of his mind, much less a father.

Then if he had to attend, he might as well make it as bearable as possible. There was no chance that it would work, but he had to try. One thing he learned from being around his best friend was to be persistent as a fly after all.

"…On one condition, father. I will attend, but I wish for you to listen to my wishes. If you do, I promise not to rebel or shame you in any way during the gala, and you can do as you please with me."

Enji's eyes narrowed dangerously. Shouto didn't back down and stared back at him, his left hand slowly lifting from his thigh just in case.

"…All right. What is it?"

Shouto was surprised that his father even heard him without complaint. His shoulders wanted to sag in relief, but he refrained himself, sitting in the seiza position as straight as possible before he bowed deeply, showing his sincerity.

"I wish to invite my two friends along."

Ochako would probably scoff at him being a 'rich boy', but there was free food involved. There was no way she would say no.

 **XXX**

"Haah…Haah…" Izuku panted, his body sprawled out on the ground, sweat glistening on his forehead and dripping off the side of his cheeks.

Shouto pressed the button on the stopwatch and raised an eyebrow as he looked at the time. "Not bad Izuku. 7.45 seconds."

"Dude, that's amazing!" I exclaimed, bouncing over to him and handing him a towel. I ruffled his green locks, his sweat sticking to my fingers. "You got way faster compared to last week!"

"B-but, Ochako-chan is…still…faster…" He gulped down his saliva, slowly pushing himself up with his mouth half open, his short breaths leaving them as his hand weakly reached for the cloth in my hand.

"Geez, I've been training far longer than you, of course I am! But still, you've worked so hard, and we just started training a month ago!" I grinned at him, and he weakly smiled back, his flushed cheeks flushing pinker at my praise. Shouto walked up to us and nodded, his expression set in a small smile.

"Ochako's right, Izuku. You're doing well. I'm really impressed with you, you slacked off less than Ochako did in a month."

"Ah, shut up." I stuck my tongue out at Shouto, and Izuku chuckled lightly, watching us both with a warm expression. I snuck a glance at him, and felt my innards warm as well at the happy look on his face.

Even though it was already a year, I always felt a comfortable warmth churning in me every time he smiled. I just wished that the amount of times he smiled now would be payment for the times he cried in the past.

"Haha, it's all thanks to you, Shouto-kun. You're always looking out for me." Izuku got to his feet and wiped his face, smiling at the taller boy. Shouto's smile widened at Izuku's comment, and I felt my grin widen a little bit more.

"Well gentlemen, why don't you say we wrap this up and have dinner at my house today?"

"Is it soba?" Shouto's eyes started to hold that familiar glint whenever his favorite food was involved.

"No, it's oden!"

"In this weather…?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, his eyes bearing confusion.

"Oden is cheap! Hell it doesn't matter if it's summer, food is food!" I exclaimed, sticking out my chest.

"...Well, I guess you can't be picky."

"Shaddap rich boy."

As we were packing up, putting our towels and other training equipment into our bag, Shouto suddenly let out a small sound. I looked up from my position on the sandy ground, furrowing my eyebrows as Izuku did the same next to me.

"Shouto? What's wrong?"

"Ahh, I forgot to give the two of you something." Shouto shuffled around in his bag before pulling something that looked like flimsy pieces of paper out. He approached the two of us sitting on the ground, squatting and showing us what he had in his hands.

I looked at it curiously, Izuku peering over my shoulder. They were tickets, tickets to something that looked awfully fancy, but I had no idea what they were for. I craned my neck in confusion.

"What the hell are these?"

"A-are those…" Izuku sucked in a sharp breath beside me. I turned my head back to look at the green haired boy, furrowing my eyebrows.

"You know what they're for?"

"Usually, people would." Shouto said dryly, his eyebrows cocking upwards in amusement. "These are tickets to the hero gala held once every year."

The Annual Hero Gala? It wasn't like I had never heard of it, but I never really cared, it just seemed like an event where stuck up heroes get together to goad and brag about their achievements. It wasn't like they were fighting or anything (trust me, if they had an annual hero's tournament I'd bust all the money in my wallet to get a ticket), they just assembled and talked while holding fancy wine and shit like that.

Definitely not my cup of cola.

Izuku gulped, his eyes wandering from the tickets to the boy holding them. "H-how did you…?"

"My father invited me along to show me off, but I don't really care for events like this." Shouto continued, annoyance and exasperation coating his tone. I'll admit, I couldn't help it. I snickered when I imagined my best friend in a suit with his hair slicked back and standing by Endeavor's side like a puppy. Shouto sent me a look.

"So what do you say? Could you attend it with me?"

"But isn't this only for heroes?" Izuku asked hesitantly, before waving his arms around in slight panic. "I-I mean, it's not like I don't appreciate it, it's really, really cool, but, we're just kids, and well-"

"Zuku. It's fine. I wanted you guys to come along, and I just…really didn't want to be alone the whole night." Shouto looked down slightly, his duo colored bangs covering his eyes from us.

Izuku bit his lip, but slowly reached out and grabbed one of the tickets in the half frozen boy's hand. Shouto looked up, his eyes slowly filling with hope.

"Alright. Besides, I think, if it's with the both of you, it'll be fun." Izuku smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Shouto nodded, and the two of them turned to look at me. I scratched my head and pursed my lips, before ripping the invitation out of Shouto's hand.

"Fine, fine! Just know that I don't know a single thing about dancing, or manners for that part!"

"I'll teach you. Izuku too."

"O-ok! I'm looking forward to it!"

"There better be food!"

"It's all free. Plus, the cooking hero 'Lunch-Rush' is in charge of the buffet."

"ALL RIGHT LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"

 **XXX**

"TENKOOOO!"

"SHUT UP BRAT!"

I jumped onto the taller teen with my arms and legs spread out like a spider. My arms and legs curled around him as I screamed in glee, practically shouting in his ear. Tenko had shrieked and had tried to pry me off his body, but I held onto his thin limbs as if it was my life.

"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I STILL CAN'T!"

"THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AND STOP SHOUTING IN MY EAR!"

"SHOUTO INVITED ME TO THE ANNUAL HERO'S GALA!"

Tenko paused in his effortless efforts, and red eyes full of disbelief stared down at me. My twinkling brown eyes didn't stop him from asking, "I thought you hated stuff like that?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I hate stuck up parties," I started, slowly untangling myself from him, my feet plopping on the floor as I craned my head up to look at him. "But there's free food. And Lunch Rush is going to be there. What else should I say?"

He let out an aggravated sigh and reached up to scratch his head, his gray hair getting even more ruffled and messier than before. I really should bring him to a barber or something; his hair was already reaching past his shoulders. I could always cut it, but he never trusted me around sharp items. "There's gonna be a whole shit ton of heroes or something right? Sounds like a huge pain."

"Dude, just think of all the amazing delicacies that could be there. I bet there's gonna be a huge load of sashimi, or maybe even caviar!"

"I doubt there'll be any stinking rotting food at a fancy ball, brainless." Tenko flicked my forehead and I let out a small whine. "You'll have to wear a dress and stuff like that don't you? Do you even know how to act in a public place?"

"Not a clue!"

"…" He stared at me like I was some sort of idiot. "…You don't even have a dress genius. Though I'm guessing the little ash head will do something about it?"

I nodded, my brown hair flying everywhere. "Yup! He said he's gonna talk to Fuyuka about it!"

Tenko let out a heavy sigh and plopped down on the sofa behind him. I followed, sitting next to him as I swung my feet in glee. He rested his arm on the armrest of the small furniture; his red eyes looking at me form the corner of his sight.

"So? When is it?"

"The end of August, two weeks from now." I hummed, picking at my chest long hair. It was tangled and messy, and because of the sweat, my fringe was sticking to my face. "Blargh, my hair's getting too long. I better cut it soon, maybe clean up a little."

He reached out, keeping his thumb away from me as his other fingers tried to run through my hair. Keyword being tried. His fingers got stuck immediately. He let out a snort and pulled away. "You better. You could pass for a cave girl the way you are right now."

I pulled down my eyelid. He plunked me lightly on the head.

"Hey, while we're at it, why don't we go cut our hair together tomorrow? You're free right? You're always doing nothing." I offered, my speech holding a slightly teasing tone to it.

He let out a small grumble, scratching his head. "Well... not anymore."

I paused, my mouth frozen in mid-open. "…What?"

"I, kind of decided what I want to do." He started hesitantly, shuffling around as if trying to find a more comfortable position to be in.

I felt my heart thump at his words. I gulped slightly, waving my legs back and forth again. "R-really?"

"Yeah." He answered, his eyes averted from mine. "I'm…going back to high school."

That caught my attention. I snapped my head in his direction my eyes widened wide.

He pursed his lips, stubbornly avoiding my eyes. "I was technically in the middle of my second year when I met you. Sixteen, but I'm eighteen now. I think I can go back and finish my last two years, since I'm classified as 'gone missing', not kicked out."

"…So, you go back to school." I started awkwardly, rubbing my neck and turning my head to look forward once more. "Then what?"

"…I know it'll take a lot of money, but I was thinking if I could, I'd go to college."

Was this day full of surprises or what?

"Really?!" I got to my feet, moving so that I was standing in front of him. He still had that sheepish look on his face, and he refused to look at me, so I started to climb up to his knees.

His head snapped in front to see me trying to get onto his lap. "H-Hey, what-?"

"That's amazing, Tenko!" I beamed at him, successfully getting in his lap and cupping his cheeks. His surprised red eyes stared at me as if I was a strange being, and his mouth was half-open in shock. I didn't stop smiling; in fact, my smile broke into a wide grin.

"Mom and Dad will be so happy to see you like this! Hell, don't worry; I'll starve if it means we have to save up for your collage fee! I'm so glad…" My words stopped mid way, and I couldn't explain it. It was as if a huge ball of emotions was welling up in chest, and before I knew it, something wet started to spill out of my eyes.

"H-hey?" Tenko's eyebrows furrowed as panic started to reflect in his eyes, his hands coming up awkwardly to hover at my side. I sniffed, blinking and smiling at the same time as the tears and emotions kept welling.

Pride. Happiness. Relief.

He had something he wanted to do. He was no longer the lonely, sad, lost boy I found in that alleyway anymore. He had a goal and he was moving forward. He was growing, he was maturing, and… there was an indescribable feeling growing in me the more I thought about it.

I buried my face into his chest, and curled my lips, trying to stop the cries from spilling out. "I'm… so proud… of you…"

I heard him inhale sharply. A second passed, and I almost wondered if I said something wrong, but then his arms came close to wrap around my smaller body, and I knew that it was okay.

"…Idiot," Embarrassment was heard in his voice. "…It's just collage. It's not like I know what to do for a job yet. You're overreacting."

"Shut up… Let me be happy for you…"

"…Fine." He let out a sigh, his arms wrapping around me tighter as I sniffled into his shirt.

"…Two o' clock tomorrow. The barber's place down the street."

"Alright… Let's get Elvis Presley haircuts to match."

"Idiot."

 **XXX**

A day later, I was happily having my hair cut with my dear 'brother' by my side. I had my hair cut back to its original length, above my shoulders, but with less… Flair, per say. It didn't curl inwards as hugely as the original Ochako did, but more like a slim and subtle bob that stuck closely to my face. My fringe was cut to sweep above my eyes, not too short and it didn't get in the way. I got rid of the two long bangs framing my face; it just didn't sit right with me somehow anymore.

Then Tenko. He cut a lot of his hair, the grayish blue strands not even touching his shoulders anymore. The hairstyle itself wasn't flashy or anything, but his fringe was cut shorter, and his new hairstyle made his hair look fluffy and soft. It was messy in a cute way, not lazy and dirty. His face was finally a lot more visible compared to before. I swore I saw some teenage girls giggling when we walked past them during our way home, but I dismissed it as a trick of my hearing.

Well, my brother is pretty cool, but I'd rather not think of him that way.

Shouto called me that day, and told him that he spoke with Fuyuka. She would send a dress that she wore when she was little to his place, so he told me he would bring it to my house when it arrived. He also told me to meet him at his place tomorrow, as it was the start of Izuku's and mine's lesson with manners.

Least to say, it didn't go well.

I couldn't speak politely, and I couldn't stop scratching my nose and other various spots. Izuku got the manners down quite quickly, he was always a polite child to begin with after all, and naturally lovable. I bet that even if he made a rude mistake at the gala, his smile would make everyone forgive him.

Yes, his unchained, unlocked smile was cuter than anything I had ever seen. Even Shouto couldn't resist it.

Shouto, who had given up on me, turned to Fuyumi for advice. Sadly, she couldn't do anything to stop my tapping feet, my wandering eyes, and frisky hands.

I wanted to stop immediately, the way that they were preening me made me feel like a doll. I always hated acting out what others expected of me. Maybe that was why I couldn't seem to listen to anything they told me to do honestly, I always felt that I had to rebel in some stupid way.

I couldn't help it, it was second nature already. At the end of the day, Shouto, Fuyumi – Hell even his grandma who joined in- gave up and told me that I was impossible to work with. Izuku had patted me on the back and hesitantly told me he preferred me the way I was. I glomped him, his blushing face being worth every second.

We decided that manners could be shoved aside for now, and we tried dancing.

That was an even bigger flop. Luckily, it wasn't only me. Shouto admitted that he could do it, but wasn't the best at ballroom dancing although his grandma had taught him, and Izuku was clumsy with his feet as well. I, naturally, couldn't even remember the steps to begin with.

So, conclusion: We all sucked at dancing and should probably stay away from the dance floor at all times.

Or, so I thought.

"Come on girl, move those hips! Katsuki, hold her properly! Stop trying to step on her feet! Ochako, stop crushing my son's hand!"

You wouldn't believe it even if I told you, but you better believe it.

"Shut up old hag! Stop sticking your body close to mine, ugly bitch!"

"The same goes for you too fucking blast for brains!"

"LANGUAGE PEOPLE! STOP CURSING DURING A DANCE!"

I started taking lessons from Bakugou Mitsuki and her god forsaken bitch of a temper son.

Rewind and stop. How did this happen when I swore to stay away from him and he swore to stay away from me? Well, the story was simple, yet frustratingly complicated in a way.

See, when Shouto and I headed on over to Izuku's house, we didn't expect Inko and Mitsuki chatting happily over a cup of tea at the dining table. We were then told that Inko and Mitsuki had known each other since high school, although a lot of stuff happened between them in the past, they were best friends now. Apparently Inko used to stop Mitsuki from getting into fights because of her hot temper, and she took care of the angry blonde during her unstable days.

That was probably why Izuku and Katsuki were childhood friends, I naturally assumed. Izuku had then burst out of his room in a hurry, carrying a small yellow book in his hands as he greeted us soon after. He explained that Inko had bought a book on manners for him to assist in our endeavors to become polite people, and offered it as a guide for the both of us. I wasn't so keen on it, but I agreed, trying my best to be as obedient as possible. Mitsukii had taken interest in our strange actions, and apparently asked Inko, who told her that the three of us were going to attend the Annual Hero Gala.

That was when the surprise came, Mitsuki offered to train us in dancing.

Apparently, the older Bakugou used to a professional ballroom dancer, although retired now, she still remembered every step of the complicated dances she did. I was slack jawed at the new information, but somehow it made sense. Her posture was always straight and beautiful, and the woman herself was amazingly good-looking as well.

Shouto and Izuku had declined as politely as they could, Shouto because he had his grandma, and Izuku because Fuyumi had offered to be his teacher for it already. That left me, and seeing the sparkle in Mitsuki's eyes, I gave up and accepted.

I just didn't think I would have to dance with Katsuki out of all things.

" _Hey, he's been pretty quiet ever since you came over last year. Besides, I've been teaching him since he was little, so he's pretty good! The height difference between you two is perfect too, I'm sure you would find it easier to dance with him."_

Shut the fuck up, this time ticking bomb was the worst partner I could ever get.

"Are you brain dead? We just did this fucking step a minute ago and you can't remember?!" The angry blonde yelled at me, his hand tightly gripping mine as his red eyes glared into me. I let out a growl, gripping his hand back with all the strength I had, and shot him the fiercest look I could muster.

"Well to be honest, if I was really brain dead, your comment would be a really terrible insult. Luckily I'm not, and once again, you are the worst partner I could ever ask for, and maybe I'm doing this on purpose just to see you blow up over nothing?!" I gritted out, feeling smug when I saw his face turn an even brighter shade of red. Steam practically blew out of his ears.

Mitsuki clapped her hands sharply, stunning us into silence. "Alright, enough! Let's take a break, and you two, talk. Sort whatever crap you have out between the two of you, and I'll come back in fifteen minutes."

She ruffled my hair, lightly smacked Katsuki's head, and promptly left the room.

I let out a heavy sigh. Pondering what to do, I decided to lay my butt on the floor while keeping an eye on the explosive blonde standing next to me. I pursed my lips and looked up, my brown eyes meeting his.

"So? You wanna sit down and talk the shit out of our conflicting emotions?"

"No." He growled out and stomped towards the door, and flung it open. Or, tried to. No matter how much the younger Bakugou twisted and turned, the door wouldn't budge. A few seconds later, he grudgingly came back to me with a sour look on his face and plopped down behind me, his back facing mine.

"…Shitty hag locked the damn thing."

"...Crafty. She must really want us to work it out." I commented absentmindedly, picking at the dirt in my nails.

The crap going on between the both of us, huh. To be honest, I had no idea what was his deal. It had been a year since we last saw each other. We both lived in different neighborhoods and went to different schools, so unless we made an effort, we would almost never bump into each other. According to Izuku, he was still being talked behind his back, and there was some small bullying like hiding his shoes here and there, but Katsuki hadn't burned him anymore. Hell, Katsuki almost never talked to him anymore, Izuku told me. There were times where he glared hard enough to burn a hole through his head, but he didn't make much contact. There were a few shoulder bumps, threatening growls, but never punching or kicking anymore.

Seeing Katsuki act so weird was kind of unsettling, he confessed to me one day with shifting eyes. It was as if he was planning something big for him, Kacchan was never one to back down so easily, he told me with a shaky voice.

He kept his distance, he kept the one sided deal we made, and I was somewhat content with it. He could have ignored me and burned Izuku to his horrible desires, but he didn't, and that was unsettling in its own way. What was he thinking? Was it really like Izuku said and Katsuki was really up to something no good?

"I have nothing to say to you." He bristled, his fists tightening and making small sparks. I let out a sigh and leaned backwards, not enough to touch him, but enough to feel his presence get closer. I felt him tense, but I didn't care enough to go back to my original position.

"Well, not me. It seems that you've been keeping our deal, you haven't messed with Izuku after that, right?"

"I didn't stop pushing that fucking Deku around," He muttered, "I only do it when he gets in my way."

"So what? You're telling me he doesn't get in your way as much as before anymore?"

He clicked his tongue and refused to say anything anymore. I took that as a yes, and continued talking.

"I see. Well, as long as my green bean is safe, doesn't matter. I don't give a flippin' shit about you anyways."

"Then why are you here?" His voice this time was harsh, harsher than the tone he used against me before. "You don't like me, I hate you. Why the fuck are you dancing with me?"

He was confused, the wavering in his voice giving it away despite the amount of roughness he used to try and cover it up. He was just a cheeky ten year old, but he wasn't stupid despite his attitude. If I really didn't care about him and hated him to the roots of my hair, I wouldn't be here even if Mitsuki asked me. I was… curious, and only, curious.

The year I spent with Izuku and away from Katsuki led me thinking to a lot of things, a lot of thoughts that I probably shouldn't have raced through my mind. I was with Izuku, I decided to help Izuku, not the blonde brat, but when Izuku was there, Katsuki was always somehow involved. Izuku tended to compare himself to the blonde, although he never said it out loud, it was just a feeling I got. When we were training, when we were doing homework, when we were skipping rocks among the river surface, there was always a foreign emotion in his eyes, and he slipped up once by accidently muttering Katsuki's nickname.

I wanted to alienate myself from him; the look I saw in his red eyes still engraved itself to the back of my brain. Katsuki didn't need me, I didn't need to protect him, he was crazy and broken and twisted, and it was obvious that the violent attachment towards Izuku was horrifyingly wrong, but it wasn't my job or will to help him.

Katsuki, Bakugou, shitty bratty boom box wasn't mine to protect. He wasn't like Shouto or Tenko, or Izuku, and I didn't plan to.

 _No matter how much those red eyes scarred me._

"Who knows why?" My voice came out softer than usual, and I suddenly felt tired. So, so tired. "Humans are strange. We're no exception, Bakugou. I hate you, and you hate me, but I need to learn how to do a simple dance routine. Just this once and we'll be out of each other's hair. Deal?"

The door clicked open before Bakugou could answer, and Mitsuki came in, her posture as straight as usual. "So? Are you ready to get back to dancing and not a game of trying to crush each other's feet?"

I opened my mouth, but before a single word could escape my mouth, Bakugou had stood up and grabbed my arm, pulling me up along with him. I blinked in confusion when he grabbed my hand this time, and put his other hand to my waist. He stuck the right side of his body to mine, but his face was pointed at anywhere besides mine.

"Just get going already. I don't want to be with this memory loss freak any longer." He muttered under his breath, his eyebrows furrowed more than usual, and his lips set in a scowl.

I took that as a deal made.

("You fucking- how the hell did you bend your elbow that way?!"

"Aww shaddap, I don't even know why either!"

"You little-"

"STOP TRYING TO BUST EACH OTHER'S ARMS YA BRATS!")

 **XXX**

* * *

It was this dream again. The same strange scenery, the same strange blankness, the same emptiness, and nothing more.

Where was this place? Why was he seeing this dream again? What was the purpose of it? It irritated him to no end, and the nagging feeling at the back of his head that he knew this person annoyed him to no boundaries.

A wind blew. It was telling him to move forward. The wind howled, persistent. Again. This same old pattern. So he did, he walked on that long, long dirt path that seemed to lead to the middle of nowhere. Where was it taking him, what was he going to see this time? Was it a warmth memory that painted the sky orange, or a cold one that smelt of a lonely house with cold walls and scented candles?

Light flashed, and before he knew it, he was dragged into a memory of which he would forget the minute his conscious returned to the world of the waking.

 _Who are you?_

* * *

 **XXX**

August 31st. The last day of the eighth month of the year, and the day of the big event that heroes around Japan were looking forward to.

The Annual Hero Gala, held at the mansion of Yaoyorozu Aika and Yaoyorozu Yuma, both well known heroes, however, with the wife being retired.

After I received a kiss from my parents and a pull on my stretchy cheeks for good luck from Tenko, I headed to the Todoroki mansion to get ready. I didn't know how to set my hair and not, so in the end I decided to get ready at Shouto's house. Izuku was the same as me, he never wore a suit before so we both got dressed and prepped up at my best friend's manor.

Shouto looked dashingly cute and handsome at the same time. Seriously, even though he was a ten year old kid, he looked like he was at least thirteen. The left side of his hair was gelled back and to his right side, parting it on the left. His suit was black and clean, his tie a deep red color and he looked calm and relaxed, a soft smile on his face as he looked at me.

"So? What do you think?" I wiggled my eyebrows jokingly, gesturing to my outfit.

It was a beautiful white dress. It was sleeveless and not too tight, and surprisingly comfortable. Light pink roses decorated the waist area, and the skirt billowed out to my knees. Small, pink snowflakes decorated the end of the flowing skirt, making it look even more pretty and elegant. If Fuyuka wore dresses like this since she was young, it was a wonder how she wasn't a spoiled brat. I probably couldn't afford a dress like this even if I spent a whole five years saving my allowance, then again I'd rather buy an unlimited amount of seafood ramen if I had that much money. My hair wasn't too fidgeted with; it was neater and brushed, with a small pink rose hair clip holding my fringe back.

All in all, I looked snazzy as Jessica Rabbit could look. Just without the amazing twenty over year old body.

"You look great." Shouto smiled at me, his eyes holding fond warmth. I grinned, winking at him jokingly in return.

"You look pretty dashing through the snow yourself, Christmas tree."

"Both of you look really good!" A voice called behind us. I turned back as Shouto looked behind me, and Izuku entered the room, fidgeting with his collar.

He was wearing a plain black tuxedo with a green vest inside. There was a dark green, close to black bowtie at the front, and he kept picking at it, like it was uncomfortable. His curly hair was brushed and slicked back, but there was a few strands popping out here and there. Since that his hair was naturally wavy and curly, his hair wasn't completely pushed back, but more like it spiked backwards gently.

He looked adorable with his flushed cheeks and pursed lips, and I wanted to squeeze the cuteness out of him.

So, I did.

"Zukuuu! You look fantastically adorable! Cuter than a baby polar bear!" I squealed, yes, squealed, and jumped towards him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"O-O-Ochako-chan?!" He was flustered, his ears tinting red. "A-a-aah-"

"You look great too, Izuku." Shouto smiled warmly at him, patting his shoulder. I let go of him to beam at the both of them. "You both do."

"Ah, t-thank you, Shouto-kun." The corner of his lips lifted up shyly, and he smiled happily.

"Shouto, are you- oh my goodness." Fuyumi entered the room next, her eyes behind her simple black glasses taking on a sparkling shine the moment she laid her eyes on all of us. "You three look adorable! Come on out front, let's take a picture! This is too good of a moment not to!"

I grinned and pranced out the door, Shouto and Izuku following soon after. When we got to the front gates of Shouto's house, Fuyumi was standing there next to a white limo, a camera in her hands. She smiled brightly as us, but Izuku and I were kind of gawking at the thing behind her.

"I-is that-" Izuku stuttered, his mouth opening and closing. I was pretty sure I looked no better with my wide eyes.

"Shouto, your house owns a limo?!" I gasped, rubbing my eyes and squinting. "Or is that thing a figment of my too creative imagination?!"

"No, it's not. It's Endeavor's, he's probably waiting inside." He let out a heavy sigh, and I grimaced at the thought of being stuck in a car with the flamey hero for at least an hour. Izuku looked conflicted, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked between the both of us and the car.

"Is Endeavor really that bad?" He muttered in a quiet voice. Shouto and I nodded simultaneously.

"Yes, he is."

"Come on you three, line up and smile one for the camera!" Fuyumi grinned happily at us, and we looked at each other. Shouto, not knowing what to do, awkwardly held up a peace sign while Izuku just beamed brightly, and a little lopsidedly.

I let out a sigh. These dorks. But, they were my dorks, and I wouldn't exchange them for the world.

I rolled my eyes and hooked both arms around each of their shoulders, pulling the three of us closer together. Shouto blinked, a surprised expression taking over his face before he smiled naturally, the familiar glint of warmness reflected in his eyes. Izuku, still not used to my contact, turned a bright pink and opened his mouth in embarrassment, his eyes averting from the camera to me. If I looked right next to me, I would have seen an adoring gaze and a deep fondness in those beautiful, sparkling green orbs.

I, the girl in the middle, smiled as big as I could with my pink cheeks and pretty white dress.

The camera flashed, and I knew instinctively that the night to come would be unforgettable.

* * *

 **Badam. Chapter up.**

 **Not much happened in this one except for Tenko deciding on what to do, a little sprinkle of Izuku's and Katsuki's past, and Todoroki/Hibiki family drama. Sorry if it's too much filler, the next chapter will be focused mainly on the gala. Many new characters will be introduced, as well as some memorable meetings.**

 **Now, a lot of people are wondering when the U.A. arc will start, I assume. Sorry to say, it'll be quite a while. I plan to focus more on the upcoming five years before they become teens, and then the U.A. arc shall start. Right now, it's the 'well deserved fluff' arc, but that arc will end with the next chapter and we will be heading into a new one.**

 **Because when fluff comes, there's gotta be some tragedy next, right? Nothing beats sour and sweet.**

 **See you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	14. Chapter 13: Three slip-ups of the heart

**-"One of the best things in life is seeing a smile on a person's face, and knowing that you're the reason why." – Uraraka Ochako**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 13: Three slip-ups of the heart**

Izuku wasn't so sure of his sense of 'beautiful', but the view that was spread out wide in front of him was probably everything that word was.

From the inside of the awkwardly silent Todoroki limousine, past the shaded glass windows, a huge mansion stood proudly outside. The gates were decorated with sparkling lights that shone with more colors than one, and more lights shone on the long path leading to the front of the mansion. The mansion itself was also very pretty with satin white walls, it resembled a western palace, and Izuku had never felt more out of place in his life than that moment.

There were people in front of the gates, holding cameras and microphones, and Izuku immediately knew that they were interviewers, or people who were working for a publishing company. They probably heard the news that the Annual Hero Gala would be taken place at the mansion of the Yaoyorozu, which led to a huge army of paparazzi standing outside of said building.

Endeavor got out of the car first, and Izuku secretly admired how the tall man stood, huge and proudly. The cameras flashed and people started bustling about, talking excitedly. Endeavor kept a cool face on and gave a proud expression at the waiting audience. The crowd went wild, Izuku thought glumly. He looked down at himself and wanted to wince, he still looked like a beanstalk compared to the people around him; Ochako looked amazing and Shouto looked so mature, the dark thought passed his mind before he shook his head.

He wasn't here to gloom, he reminded himself, recalling the countless times Ochako had bitten him to stop his mumbling in self doubt. He never really understood why she chose to bite him out of all things, but it did its job well enough. He was always too flustered to remember what he was thinking about afterwards anyways.

Shouto, who was closest to the door from the backseat, was next to leave. He seemed to stand straight and emitted an aura of coolness, but Izuku knew better. He was clenching his fists, and his face was set in stone, a frighteningly blank expression on his normally gentle face. He was nervous and anxious, and he looked like he was about to dash the second another camera flashed.

Izuku reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his friend, and Shouto stopped to look back. His eyes widened slightly, and all Izuku could do was offer a smile that he could only hope was reassuring. The taller boy's eyes glistened, and his face melted into that gentle smile that Izuku admired before he looked forward once more. The soft fabric of his sleeve left Izuku's hand, and the green haired boy took a deep breath before stepping out of the car.

The world seemed so much bigger. The sky was a beautiful orange, signaling that dusk was near. The long marble road that led to the party area was even longer than he had expected, curving and twisting a little on the way. The lights that shone on him were bright, and a little bit hotter than he had thought they would be.

A trickle of sweat slipped from his forehead to his chin. He gulped, feeling the people whispering confusedly, looking at Endeavor and then back at him, like they were wondering why someone as insignificant as him was-

"WOAAAH! This looks amazing!" A bright voice cut him off from his spiral of thoughts.

He looked back. Ochako had exited the white limo after him, her brown hair swaying lightly as she moved. Her large brown eyes twinkled, he could practically see stars shining in them, and her cheeks were flushed with a soft pink. A bright, almost dazzling grin was pointed to him soon, and he felt himself gulp once more, a different kind of nervous gripping at him.

The paparazzi were whispering again, but the brave girl showed no hesitation even the face of TV. She raised both her arms and waved them in front of the heavy looking TV camera.

"Hey! Mom! Dad! Tenko! Do you see this or what?! This party mansion looks awesome!"

Izuku managed to snap out of his dumbstruck daze and shook his head sideways. He lightly tapped the excited girl's shoulder, his lips forming a small smile when she turned around. She smelled nice, like sunshine and wild strawberries, he vaguely thought.

"Ochako-chan, let's go. I think Shouto-kun's waiting for us." She laughed, her merry voice sending his heart shivers, before she reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him as she started walking towards the gates.

"Alright then my lovely green bean, let's go! Can't keep the prince waiting after all, huh?" She tilted her head backwards and grinned once more, white teeth flashing.

His hand felt sweaty. His lips curled upwards unconsciously once more, and he nodded. "Ok!"

They walked, following the path that was laid out for them. They met up with the two Todoroki's soon enough, Shouto walking besides his father with a stiff posture. The moment Ochako spotted her best friend, she rushed towards him, pulling Izuku along, and tackled the taller boy. Izuku, who was still holding the brown girl's hand, crashed into Shouto as well. The red and white haired boy was startled, but when he saw Ochako laughing and Izuku smiling a sheepish smile, the tenseness in his shoulders seemed to fade, and the normally gentle look appeared on his face once more.

Izuku glanced upwards to see Endeavor looking at them with his eyebrows furrowed, almost as if he was displeased by their appearance. Izuku looked away; a small feeling of unease bubbling at the bottom of his stomach. The short boy somewhat understood why Ochako and Shouto told him not to stick around the number two hero too much.

The security guard at the front doors of the Yaoyorozu mansion gave them a brief look over before letting them inside. If the outside was pretty, the inside was even more extravagant. The walls on the inside were mostly painted a deep, vibrant red, and a soft looking carpet was spread out for them. A chandelier hung from the middle of the roof of the corridor, the jewels glimmering as light reflected.

Izuku could hear the soft thumps of their footsteps across the carpet. A strange kind of anxiety started to build in his stomach, and he tried to calm himself down by breathing deeply. He was just going to enter a huge room full of people, famous people, and heroes, oh god heroes, what was he supposed to do- was he supposed to throw glasses of rich smelling wine on them or geek out because despite throwing his notebooks away, he did have every single detail memorized and-

Breathe. Calm down Izuku.

Endeavor suddenly stopped, and the three kids paused as well. In front of them loomed a huge door, red and the stained glass that decorated it had elaborate designs that Izuku had never seen before. Endeavor put his two giant hands on it, and pushed.

Chatter. Laughter and the smell of amazingly cooked food hit the small boy before he could even register.

The other side of the door was a huge hall. The walls were white and a huge chandelier similar to the one in the hallway hung in the middle, except that this one was a lot bigger, and had more shiny gemstones decorating it. On the left of the wide room, there was a group of musicians forming a small orchestra. The music emitting from their instruments lit up the room, and Izuku could see several people dancing to the joyous melody as well.

On the right, was the main reason why Ochako had agreed to come. The buffet table.

When Izuku saw that table, drool nearly spilled out of his mouth. He wasn't a big eater, in fact he ate less than the average human, but the food that was laid out on that table was tempting enough to make him want to eat the whole display. There were so many kinds of dishes, some that the boy never even knew about. There were main dishes like steaks, lobsters and all sorts of meat and seafood dishes, and deserts like chocolate soufflés, macaroons, even a cheese board was there.

He looked to the side and Ochako was glaring – no, staring very intensely- at the long table lined up with food.

Endeavor let out deep breath, causing Shouto and Izuku to look up. His ice blue eyes were focused mainly on Shouto. "Shouto, your friends can go about as long as they do not get into trouble. Come with me." Without letting any of them answer, the adult walked away, disappearing into the crowd of people.

Shouto let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. He looked Izuku with a slightly tired smile, and Izuku reached out to pat his shoulder. The taller boy smiled. "Thanks Izu."

He looked to the left and lightly slapped Ochako's head. "Ochako, don't devour the buffet table, please. I want to have some too."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!" She waved him off, her eyes still focused on one spot. "Well, uh, it's been nice gentlemen, now, can I go?"

"Izuku, go with her and make sure she stays out of trouble. I'll catch up with you guys later." Shouto sent the two of them one last smile. Ochako waved back while Izuku smiled to send him off, and the mature looking boy trailed after his father, his red and white hair disappearing like Endeavor.

Izuku heard a small slap, and saw Ochako rubbing her hands together, almost evilly as a wide grin nearly split her face. "Sooo, let's go!"

"W-wait, Ochako-cha-woah!" His hand was grabbed by a calloused one, and soon, the two of them were off.

Ochako pushed through the crowd of adults as if she was raving through a thorny hedge full of poison ivy. Izuku kept bumping into people and was frantically apologizing. In the midst of the situation, the panicking boy didn't notice his fingers slipping from the starving girl, and before the both of them knew it, they were separated; Ochako being too focused on the delicious gourmet treats, and Izuku being too focused on his surroundings.

Izuku maneuvered clumsily until he eventually reached the side of the ballroom like room. He placed his hand on the wall, pushing his head against it and letting out a deep sigh. He raised his head slightly to look behind him, just in case he could spot his friend through the crowd somehow, but his actions were fruitless. A small groan escaped his lips and his forehead met the wall again.

What was he doing? The air seemed so suffocating. There were too many people, too much laughing and chatter. It was so noisy and crowed, and he felt a small shiver run up his spine. He breathed in and out, trying to steady his shaky hand. He was never good with crowds, especially one that had people full of quirks and when he was the only one who… didn't.

Heroes. They were heroes. A bitter feeling grew in his chest, and he tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out. He hated feeling so helpless. Even after a year of spending time around positive energy, he still hated how the darkness in him hadn't gone away.

 _Will it ever go away? Probably not, but he wanted to live. That had got to count for something, right?_

He didn't notice a person walking up to him. A gentle, but slightly awkward hand tapped his shoulder.

"Um, are you alright? Do you feel unwell?"

Izuku jumped, his eyes widening as he turned around. His green eyes met concerned, light gray ones. A boy who seemed to be around his age was standing behind him. He was dressed in a similar formal suit, an indigo bowtie accompanying his collar. He had black hair neatly swept to the side, and black rimmed glasses sat on his nose.

"Hello? Are you feeling fine?" Gray eyes peered into his once more, and Izuku finally remembered that he had to reply. His mouth flapped a little before he averted his gaze to the wall beside him as if it was the most interesting thing in the room.

"Uh-y-yeah, I-I'm f-fine." He stuttered, feeling his stomach curl. "I-I guess, the party and all that, sort of got to me. I-I'm not r-really good with c-crowds."

He saw the black haired boy nod at the corner of his vision. "I understand. To be honest, I'm not really fond of them either."

Izuku slowly pushed his gaze back in front of him, facing the boy. "R-really?"

He nodded once more, a slightly embarrassed smile taking over his lips. "It is sort of embarrassing, but yes. However, my family was invited, and I cannot bring shame to our family name just because of my slight… weakness."

Izuku found a small chuckle coming from his throat. "Y-you're a serious guy. I think that's a good thing."

The other boy's bashful smile melted into a genuine one. "Thank you. By the way, it just occurred to me that I never introduced myself. My name is Iida Tenya, from the Iida family."

Iida? The gears in Izuku's head twisted and clanged against each other until he reached a spark of memory. "O-oh! A-are you related to the hero Ingenium?"

Iida's face looked surprised before stars appeared in his eyes, not literally of course. "Yes! You know of my brother?"

Izuku nodded shyly. "Y-yeah. I think he's a great hero."

Iida's smile grew even wider. "Isn't he?! My brother is the kindest and bravest person I have ever known! I wish to be like him one day, but the road is terribly long. I must work hard every day!"

Izuku couldn't help it, a real, genuine laugh poured out of his mouth. Iida looked surprised at his sudden action. Not wanting to accidentally insult his new… companion(?), Izuku quickly explained with his hands waving around in the air.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to- I'm not making fun of you, I swear! I-I think it's really cool that you have a dream, and that you can work hard towards it."

He ignored the sharp prickle in his chest. "I-I just wished that I had an ambition just like yours…"

Iida frowned immediately after hearing his words. "Nonsense! Everyone has a dream, no matter how small or big."

Izuku slowly rubbed his arm, a small mutter escaping his mouth. "Not everyone."

Iida looked confused. Izuku tried his best to put on a smile again, his lips starting to shake. The boy in front of him opened his mouth once more, before a voice interrupted them.

"Hey, little girl! Stop trying to eat that lobster whole, this food is for everyone!"

"BLASPHEMY!"

Izuku gulped as soon as he heard the all too familiar voice. "S-sorry, I have to go! Maybe, maybe we'll bump into each other later!" He pushed himself off the wall.

"Huh-w-wait!" He ignored the slightly confused and flustered call, taking a deep breath and heading into the swarm of chattering humans.

 **XXX**

Shouto heard a war cry, and instinctively wanted to bash his head into a jar full of ice water.

Ochako, he groaned in his head. Why did she have to go cause another scene? He already had a headache with his shitty father by his side. Now, his childhood friend was using a boiled lobster as a nun chuck and was currently whacking a panicked adult with said seafood.

To be really, really honest though, he wanted to grab the cheese tray and smack his father with it as well, but that topic could be saved for a later time.

His father ignored the ruckus, feigning ignorance. Shouto would probably have done the same. What a splendid family resemblance.

He fixed his gaze back to the front. Shaking hands with his father was a tall, handsome man who looked to be younger than his actual age, with jet black hair and a kind smile. The woman beside him was beautiful as well, having a regal and refined air around her, but the way she carried herself didn't seem to be snotty or overwhelming.

They were the hosts and owners of the mansion, the Yaoyorozu family.

"It is a pleasure to meet the famous Yaoyorozus." His father greeted politely, his tone deep and refined, nothing like how he was normally.

Yaoyorozu Yuma chuckled, a gentle and kind laugh that reassured Shouto that he wasn't like the previous stuck up heroes he had to meet and greet. "The pleasure is ours, Mr. Todoroki. I assume this boy here is your son?"

Shouto raised his head, meeting the gaze of the older man. He bowed politely, his head and gaze facing downwards, his tone polite and brief, "Todoroki Shouto. It is an honor to meet you." The repeated phrase came out easier after the thirtieth time this evening, he thought dryly.

Yuma chuckled once more. Yaoyorozu Aika let out a small hum, her dainty fingers touching the side of her face. "What a polite young boy. That reminds me, we should introduce our daughter as well, don't you agree, Jin?"

Yuma nodded. "She should be close. Momo! Come and greet our guests!" He raised his voice slightly, not too loud, but not too soft either. A small beat passed between them, before a high pitched voice rung back.

"Coming father!"

A small flurry of steps different from the adults in the room approached them and stopped in front of him. Shouto raised his head.

Black and light blue met onyx.

The daughter of the two Yaoyorozus- Yaoyorozu Momo, he recalled- was a small girl with long, jet black hair ending at her waist. Her breath was short and slightly frantic; the rising of her chest implying that she had hurried over. Her slightly pointed, cat like onyx eyes were widened slightly, and the dainty white hairband adorned with magenta flowers pushed up her bangs, revealing her fair skinned forehead. The white and crimson dress on her complimented her, and even Shouto could understand that the girl in front of him was cuter than most girls he had ever seen. (Then again, the only girl he ever interacted with was Ochako, and he never thought of her that way, much less a girl. The truth was cold, he supposed.)

For some reason, the temperature seemed to rise. He was half tempted to activate his quirk.

Momo looked struck for a moment, her wide eyes never leaving his. It wasn't until her father lightly tapped her head that she snapped out of it, her cheeks taking on a faint pink color. Shouto felt his stomach curl and wondered if he was catching a cold.

"E-excuse me, my name is Yaoyorozu Momo." She lifted her dress and curtsied, her cheeks still flushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for my, slightly disheveled appearance."

Endeavor let out a small laugh, and Shouto furrowed his eyebrows. "I do not mind. Shouto, why don't you accompany her for a dance or have some refreshments at the buffet table? Mr. Yaoyorozu and I have to talk."

Shouto snapped his head up, disbelief clear in his eyes. Endeavor ignored him, proceeding to walk over to the two Yaoyorozus. Yuma nodded and smiled, however this time, a slightly steely expression taking over his once kind one. Aika leaned down and whispered into Momo's ear, and the young girl nodded.

The adults left, and soon, the two kids were surrounded by an awkward silence.

Shouto let out a small sigh, his hand coming up push the side of his face as his fingers brushed up his fringe. Finally, his stupid father was gone, and he was free even if it was just for a little moment. He wanted nothing more but to rush towards the buffet table and join Ochako and Izuku, hopefully the latter was still alive and well (as for Ochako he didn't care what heinous crime she committed, he wanted in), but he couldn't.

He awkwardly looked at the girl in front of him, who seemed to fidgeting, biting her lip as her gaze wandered. He called out to her in the best, gentlest voice he could muster, "Hey, uh, miss…Yaoyorozu?"

He winced on the inside. That sounded awkward even to him. Her head snapped back to him, and she answered almost too stiffly, "Y-yes!"

He blinked, and unknowingly blurted out. "You don't have to act so formal around me. I'm not good at stuff like that."

"O-oh." The tenseness in her shoulders seemed to melt away at his words, a slightly more natural look coming over her face. "I-I'm sorry, I've never interacted with anyone my age, so I'm not sure what to do…"

He nodded, understanding her situation. Despite her family being blessed with more money compared to his, he couldn't imagine how much more cramped her life was. If he couldn't stand his current life, he didn't know how she coped with hers. He was luckily that he had Ochako and Izuku, but they were special, and people like them who were willing to interact with people like him probably weren't so common.

He briefly imagined a second Ochako and the world fell to ruin in his short imagination. It was a good thing that there was only one of her, the world probably couldn't stand a second one.

"So," he started awkwardly, not sure how to interact with her either. "Do you want to-"

"STAND BACK, FIENDS! DON'T MESS WITH A BUNNY!"

 _Smack! Bam! Crash!_

"Ochako-chan, please put down that cheese tray-woah!"

 _CRASH! THUMP!_

"-Dance away, far, far away from the currently non-ruckus happening behind us. Let's go." He hurried finished, briskly walking off and hoping that that cheese tray wouldn't fly and smack the back of his head.

"U-um, mister Todoroki? P-please wait!" He heard Momo cry out, and he paused, slightly turning his head back to smile at the girl.

"Shouto. Call me Shouto." He reached out a hand, trying his best to remember how to escort a lady.

Momo froze, her eyes widening. Her hands that were brought up to her chest were covered in a long, white glove with crimson swirls that extended to her elbows. Shouto looked into her eyes once more, and something in her shining onyx orbs enchanted him. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink this time, she shyly nodded, and reached out to put her hand in his.

He took her hand gently, and pulled her closer. Their timing was perfect, as the current song ended and opened to a more gentle and serene melody.

A ballad.

Shouto was never good at ballroom dancing, but Momo was amazing at it. Her steps were graceful and fluid, her body molding against his as if they were made for each other. They glided across the floor slowly and gently, and Shouto did his best to lead her. She never looked up though, and kept her head down. Shouto wondered for a brief moment if he did something to upset her, but then suddenly, her head snapped up, and her eyes were filled with sudden determination.

"Sh-shouto-san. If I can call you that, please call me Momo as well!" She stuttered slightly, but her voice rang out loud and clear for him to hear.

He felt his gut clench again.

"Okay. Momo then, if you don't mind."

"O-of course I don't!"

The temperature in the room was definitely too hot, because the pounding in his chest and sudden heat in his face was proof of it. There couldn't be any other reason.

 _He was just a ten year old, after all. What did he know?_

 **XXX**

The cheese tray was ripped from my hands and I sulked, leaning on Izuku as he supported me.

"O-Ochako-chan-"

"My poor, poor cheesy wheezy… I will miss you, for you have assisted me in my endeavors of conquering the buffet table!" I sniffed overdramatically, wiping away my fake tears. Izuku smiled awkwardly and patted my shoulder.

"You did try to smack the snake hero Uwabami with it after all… It can't be helped."

"They didn't have to ban me from it though." I puffed up my cheeks, letting out a dejected sigh. "Ah well, I'll just sneak under the table later. The table cloth should hide me well enough."

Izuku frowned slightly, his lips pursing into a small pout. "Ochako-chan…" He was cut off.

A gentle melody caught my ear and I perked up, looking around. While I was sulking on the wall next to Izuku, the joyous music was replaced by a gentle and sweet sound. It was a ballad, I realized, when I saw males and females pairing up to dance with each other.

It was really sweet, teeth rotting sweet.

I rolled my eyes, taking my head off Izuku's shoulder to bang into the wall behind me. "So, this is when romancing and whatnot happens, I guess. You think they'd keep it age appropriate?"

Izuku flushed, his pale cheeks taking on a cherry color. "O-Ochako-chan! That's not nice!"

The corners of my lips curled up and I let out a small laugh. He was so damn innocent and his reactions were far funnier compared to Shouto's. "I know I know. Sorry Izu-woah."

My thoughts came to a pause. It couldn't have been. No way.

"Izu," I whispered, jabbing his side. "Tell me it can't be. Tell me that's not Shouto dancing with a real life girl."

"Eh?!" Izuku looked just as shocked, maybe even more shocked than I was. His gaze followed mine, and I heard a small intake of air.

"T-that is Shouto-kun."

"…Wow." We both shared a moment of disbelief together, because come on, it was practically a miracle and something I had only imagined to be possible in a parallel universe or something. Yes, it was that impossible. Hell, since when did he knew a pretty girl?!

I narrowed my eyes, and an even more surprised feeling settled into me when I saw who his partner was.

Momo. There was no mistaking it; it definitely was that beautiful girl with that bad as ass quirk. She was younger than I remembered, well of course, but that jet black hair and cat like eyes were so easy to recognize. Not to mention she was really adorable, I wanted to join in and hug the mother-effing fluff out of her.

Shouto was dancing with his future wife that I had definitely not wanted to pair with when we enter U.A, no way. Since when have I said anything like that?

I let out a low whistle of appreciation at the adorable scene in front of me. Luckily, we were too far away and both of them couldn't hear me.

"Ochako-chan," Izuku murmured softly. I hummed in response.

"Yeah?"

"Shouto-kun looks, happy. A little flustered even, haha. It's so rare to see him like that."

My chest warmed, and a natural smile took over my lips. "Yeah. I'm glad he's happy; he had to stick with that stick-in-the-mud-king for almost the entire evening."

Izuku smiled, and we both continued watching them until he cleared his throat. "U-Um, O-Ochako-chan?"

"Yeah?"

There was a pregnant pause before I heard him suck in a deep breath. "D-do you want to dance?"

I paused. Slowly turning my head to the side, I finally saw how nervous he seemed to be. His cheeks were flushed a deep red, even his ears were tinted red. His gaze was fixed ahead, but his shoulders were tense and his hands were shaking.

My heart warmed, and I coughed, trying to play it off lightly. "You sure? I still suck at dancing, you know?"

Even if I had that small lesson with the Bakugous, my dancing skills were just upgraded from horrible to slightly horrible, and that wasn't an exaggeration. I could still hear Bakugou Junior ranting and yelling at me to compensate for his broken toes and bruised leg. Yeesh, never want to dance with him again, not that I planned to anyway.

Izuku turned his head sideways to look at me, and I noticed that even his lip was quivering. "I-I'm not that good at it either, but, I want to, and if you don't mind a sucky lead, would you…?"

He stretched out his hand and looked at me in the eyes. He was still no doubt blood curdling nervous, but his actions were so earnest and his words were pure.

Hell, I never stood a chance against him in the first place.

I let out breathy laugh and put my hand on his, my fingers curling between his, and I pulled him close, our noses nearly bumping. A quiet 'eep' escaped his mouth, and I smiled with all the emotions I could feel.

"Of course. I'd do anything for you, one dance can't hurt. Be prepared to lose your toes though." I teased.

He gulped, his face turning even redder than before. He looked like a tomato now, but his lips curled gently, and my breath was taken away by his next smile.

 _Damn it. With a smile like that, even if he told me to destroy the world, I would gather all the damn nukes in the universe and nuke it. It'll be worth it._

 **XXX**

Why?

Why was his heart pounding?

Why was it so hard to breathe?

It was her. It was always her.

The moment they met, his heart clenched. When he smelt her scent, that wonderful scent full of warmth, his blood raged.

When he saw how she looked like under the roof of that bus stop, with wet hair sticking to her and mouth slightly open, he had thought she looked beautiful. When she pushed him against that brick wall with confusion and rage in her eyes and the rain pounding on them, he had never felt more sad and terrified in his life.

When she had cried for him, tears in her eyes as she screamed his name at that ruined park, he finally felt like he could trust her.

It was always her. She was the one who had changed his world, who had saved him from himself. She looked amazing with the light of the fireflies reflecting her brown hair, and when her kind, gentle eyes told him that he was okay, that he was safe, the tall, broken, paper walls around his heart dropped.

The wounds were still there, but with her, he felt like he could do anything.

He knew why now. She smiled at him, that toothy grin that sent his stomach flipping, and the way her hand fitted in his never felt more perfect.

She was crazy, out of this world, but she was his hero, his light, his guide.

 _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Was he allowed to feel this happy? Was this a dream? If it is, please don't let it end. I don't want to wake up._

 **XXX**

I burst open through the balcony doors, the cold air of the night hitting me as I let out a deep breath.

Now around seven, the party was starting to get heated up. The slow dance was replaced by gleeful music, and the sweet atmosphere switched for a more upbeat one. I had originally thought that ballads were supposed to be saved for last or something, but what did I know about fancy parties. Maybe everything they do was backwards.

After dancing with Izuku, I had felt insufferably hot and so desperately in need for a fresh change of air. Alone. Despite the reluctance in his eyes, Izuku nodded and we separated from each other, and I headed straight for the nearest balcony.

It was the end of August. Summer was half over, and our summer vacation was ending. School was going to start on Tuesday, which meant this was the second last day. I mentally groaned at the thought of going back to that hellhole, especially since that both of my friends weren't attending the same school. Hell, one of them was homeschooled, which sucked great cheese balls.

I approached the railing and leaned forward, crossing my arms over the top of the cold metal and resting my chin on them. I let out another sigh.

Suddenly, the railing next to me clanked loudly and I bolted straight up, surprised by the sudden sound.

When I turned to the source of the noise, I found a tall man crouching on the railing, his body perfectly balanced on the thin pole of metal. He had hair as dark as the night that was slicked back and he was wearing a plain black suit, which reassured me slightly because he probably was one of the guests and not the pizza fairy wanting to get back at me for dropping a slice over Tenko's head.

The thing that caught my eye the most however, was a pair of yellow goggles strapped across his neck. A very familiar pair of yellow goggles.

The strange, suspicious man looked up, his coal black eyes making contact with mine.

If I were any other person, I'd probably faint at the sight of a very certain man dropping from the sky and landing right next to you.

I lifted a hand as if I was raising my hand in class, waiting to be picked to answer a question. "So, how many stories have you fallen from, Spidey?"

He blinked, looking confused and weirded out at the same time. "…From the third floor?"

"Man, you are made out of something badass if you could survive that." I whistled lowly, stretching out a hand towards him. "Well, I'm sure you're comfortable there and all, but I really don't want to see you drop off the second floor because of some crazy shit. So, hey, I'm Uraraka Ochako, the most adorably dressed girl in the world. You?"

He eyed my hand like I was going to emit lasers and zap him. I shook my hand a little, keeping a friendly smile on my face, "I'm a ten year old girl man. You don't have to be so wary. I'm not going to go all gung-ho on you just because of your name."

After a small pause, the probably twenty five year old man grabbed my hand and shook it briefly, before throwing himself onto the platform of the balcony, now standing directly in front of me. Now that I had a better look, his suit was a little wrinkled and his gelled hair looked ruffled, it was as if he was in combat with a small gale or something.

His deep voice was quiet and a little drawn out. "Eraserhead."

Aizawa Shouta was expressionless as much as he was silent. Even if this Aizawa was five years younger than canon, there wasn't much difference except this one looked well, younger. He had light bags under his half-lidded eyes, and he looked tired. I could imagine him with scraggly hair and bristles around his mouth.

I was slightly questioning why he wore his signature goggles when he was wearing formal attire, but I decided not to poke too much. "Eraserhead, huh. Never heard of that name before."

"I'm not surprised." He looked down on me. Since that I was relatively short for my age, even one of average height was towering over me. "I don't like the spotlight too much."

"Eh, if you say so." I shrugged, turning my body back to the spacious scenery in front of me. "Every hero has their quirks. I mean that in double ways."

He let out a small grunt and looked up, his eyes scanning for something. I spotted him doing that from the corner of my eye, and was curious.

"What are you doing? Scouting for enemies?"

"Something of the sort."

Before I could ask him what he meant, something happened. Something that happened to blow my eardrums off and vomit blood from my brain.

"EEEEEERAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEERRRRRRRR!"

A yellow shockwave of sound blasted throughout the mansion. I let out a pained groan and gripped my ears, trying to shut out any sound. There were screams and shocked voices, and I swore that every glass in the damn mansion broke just by the yell of a certain man.

I rubbed my sore ears as Aizawa rubbed his, swearing loudly as he narrowed his eyes. There was only one person I knew with a quirk like that, and considering how hard Aizawa was glaring at the ballroom, it was pretty much guaranteed.

"Is that, Present Mic?" I asked him, still recovering from the sound wave. Aizawa reluctantly nodded and let out a deep sigh.

"Damn bastard got drunk after I specifically told him not to take a swing out of that vodka." He grumbled, reaching down to his neck and pulling up the goggles, covering his eyes. I suddenly realized why he was wearing those with his formal attire, and why he looked so ruffled.

"Well, I guess you gotta keep him in control, huh?" I winced as I recalled the earlier blast of yellow. "Wouldn't want anybody to bleed out of their ears."

"Yeah." I couldn't see his eyes anymore, but I swore his eyes flickered down to meet mine.

In a flash he was gone, the wind that blew after him being the only thing left to keep me company.

I let out a small groan and stretched my limbs, feeling the air a little too chilly after my only companion gone. Aizawa Shouta – Eraserhead – was just as badass as I remembered, heck maybe even more, and if that guy was going to be a teacher in a few more years, I couldn't wait to be his student.

The sounds of glasses crashing and loud cussing filled my ears, until it quieted down. I suddenly wondered what would happen if Mic decided to get drunk in school and cause us all permanent hearing damage.

There were sounds of a door closing, and I had originally thought that it was Mic and Eraserhead who went out.

"THE SYMBOL OF PEACE HAS ARRIVED!"

I bolted from my place on the balcony immediately. Pushing open the glass windows, I heard excited chatter and gleeful screaming. I jumped around, trying to find out whether my hearing had gone wrong or I really did hear All Might.

The crowd of people was still blocking my view. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, I put my hand on my shoulder, activating my quirk. I concentrated to only release a small percentage and gravity soon let go of me. I jumped and gently floated up, and finally managed to see a peak of bright, blonde hair sticking up in two bunny ears.

I felt a grin split my face. Pressing my fingers together and deactivating Zero Gravity, I pushed through the crowd in search of my friend.

It was a little early, but it was time for a fateful meeting.

 **XXX**

Izuku flexed his fingers.

He could still feel her warmth on them, and it was driving him crazy.

Recalling her flushed face and bright, brown eyes, the green haired boy could only let out a strangled sigh and hold his head in his hands.

He let out another small sigh and leaned against the wall for support. It was hot again, the ballad ending and switching for a more upbeat song. He was tired and done dancing for the day, and he really wanted to go home. His eyes searched the crowd for a familiar face.

Although he couldn't find either Shouto or Ochako, he did spot a bespectacled boy by the punch, taking a small sip out of his cup. He weighed his options in his head, and decided that talking to him may be better than brooding in a small corner on his own. He pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly towards Iida, avoiding as much people as he could.

When he was behind the taller boy, he tapped him on the shoulder. Iida spun around to meet his eyes, and a small smile graced his lips.

"Oh, hello! It's a coincidence seeing you again." He bowed politely, Izuku chuckling and doing the same.

"Um, I'm sorry I ran off just now. I, kind of realized I didn't introduce myself back then too." Izuku straightened up and smiled.

"My name is Midoriya Izuku. Nice to meet you, Iida-kun."

"The pleasure is mine, Midoriya-kun." Iida nodded once more. "If it isn't too intruding, may I ask about your sudden departure? You seemed panicked, and I was quite worried." The black haired boy frowned, and Izuku scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry, I saw my friend making a mess at the buffet table, and I kinda figured that I should go and hold her back. She's banned now though, haha." Izuku didn't doubt for a moment that she would find an opening and sneak under the buffet table again.

Iida looked surprised, but once again, nodded. However this time, there a forlorn look in his eyes. "It… must be nice to have friends." He cleared his throat. "Pardon me; I've never actually interacted much with other kids my age. I seem to be avoided a lot at school, no matter how much I try to make conversation. My brother tells me I'm fine the way I am, but sometimes I feel as if I'm…Boring. Even uptight, maybe." He confessed.

Izuku winced, understanding the boy's conflict. He had enough experience, and he wouldn't want to wish the same on others, he thought bitterly. "I…understand too. I'm not really welcome at school either. The only reason I have someone to talk to is because…well, there's no really other reason except that she's a huge weirdo."

A fond feeling blossomed in the Izuku's chest as he thought about Ochako. "She's…really strange. She doesn't even go to my school, but, she's the reason why I don't feel…lonely anymore." He looked up, his green eyes meeting with widened ones.

He offered a small smile and reached out an arm. "Maybe…I can be yours?"

Iida looked surprised, but soon that surprise was replaced by sheer happiness. The taller boy eagerly shook Izuku's hand, moving it up and down. "Yes! Of course! I'd be honored to call you my friend, Midoriya-kun!"

"Ehehe. You can call me Izuku, if you want to, I mean!"

"Well then, you must call me Tenya as well! It is only fair!" The bespectacled boy grinned for the first time Izuku had ever seen him, and he realized that he was truly happy. The fact that he had become someone's 'hero', albeit on a relatively small scale, and that he was doing the same thing Ochako did for him, sent a feeling of happiness rushing through his blood.

He liked helping people, and it was as simple as that.

The moment was interrupted by a loud shout though. It was a terrible sound, a mess of frazzled and disorientated noise with only one message ringing through his brain. Izuku groaned and crouched to the ground, Tenya falling beside him, both of them covering their ears to be relieved of the horrible violation of their hearing. The odd yellow blast of sound was gone soon, and when Izuku opened his eyes, it was only a glimpse, but he saw a goggled man dragging a flailing blonde through the entrance doors.

This ball was getting weirder and weirder, he thought painfully, still having that ring in his ears.

The next moment, the doors burst open and Izuku hoped that it wasn't whoever who was responsible for hurting his ears.

"THE SYMBOL OF PEACE HAS ARRIVED!"

Izuku froze. Every single cell of his body seemed to stop, his body shutting down as his mind worked numbly, processing the occurring events.

That voice. _That voice._

 _He was here. All Might._

He saw glimpse of burned notebooks and scars, burns and cackling laughter, bruises, cuts-

"…u?"

Fingers pointing. Teasing. Pushing. Name calling.

"…ku?"

 _Deku. Deku. Worthless. Quirkless. Failure._

 _Deku. Kacchan._

"IZUKU! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

He felt a pressure whipping him across the cheek, and suddenly, there was color again along with worried, brown eyes peering into his with equally worried eyes beside them.

Ochako. She was here.

It was okay, he thought numbly. "O…chako? K-Kacchan, is he-?"

"No, he's not here, Izu." She soothed him, her hand brushing through his green locks, a few of them coming undone. "It's okay. Shouto is here, I'm here, and we're nowhere close to that blonde mess up. It's okay, it's okay. You're fine."

He let out a shaky breath, and pulled himself up, leaning on her kneeled down form for support. "…Okay. I'm okay. I'm fine."

"Yeah, that's it." She smiled encouragingly, and Izuku felt like he could breathe again.

"Izuku-kun, are you alright?! I was terribly worried!" Tenya bent down as well and put his hands on his shoulders. "Do you have some sort of sickness I was not aware of?! Come to think of it, you did look quite unwell the first time I met you-"

"A-ah, it's nothing like that, Tenya-kun!" He flailed a little, not used to getting so much attention from someone he just met. "I-it's just, a, uh, bad memory? Something…happened during my childhood, and I'd… rather not talk about it." He rubbed his arm consciously. "I'm…really sorry for worrying you."

Tenya looked troubled, his eyebrows furrowed. Eventually, he let out a small sigh, and released Izuku's shoulders. "…I understand. I hope you feel better now though, are you truly alright?"

Izuku chuckled softly at his new friend's concern. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you, for being so accepting."

Tenya nodded, his own lips taking on a small smile. "It's no trouble." His eyes darted up to look at the girl who still had her arms wrapped around him, and suddenly, Izuku noticed the position he was in.

He was leaning on Ochako. Her arms were wrapped around his torso, and her face was directly above his. She was slightly cradling him, like he was a baby to be protected.

He felt his face burn. "O-o-o-o-ocha-ochako-chan!"

"Eh, what?" She blinked, utterly clueless until a small frown appeared. "Hey, you called me Ochako just now get rid of the honorific!" She all but demanded, her hands coming up to pinch at his cheeks. "Or I'll make your freckles look like raisins!"

Tenya coughed, directing their attention to him, and Izuku was really, really glad. "Um, may I ask, who are you?"

"Oh, yeah!" She gently let go of him and proceeded to stand up, Izuku following her example. He wobbled a bit on his feet, but he was soon standing without a problem.

Ochako grinned, a dazzling bright grin, and reached out her hand with a huge flourish. "I'm the fantastically awesome ten year old, Uraraka Ochako! I enjoy eating fish in buckets and seafood ramen and dunking hot headed pig ass wimps in seaweed gunk! To answer your question, dear sir, no, I am not a psychopath although I may as well be on the road to one. Nice to meet ya!"

The shit eating grin on her face made Izuku want to slam his head on a wall.

Tenya looked mortified- maybe even a little green- but he reached out and shook her hand as well. "I'm…not quite sure how to introduce myself now, but, I am Iida Tenya, a member of the Iida family."

"Oh, the hero Ingenium is your brother, I take it?" Ochako grinned even wider, if that was even possible.

Just like that, the green and mortification disappeared and was replaced by glee and excitement. "You know of my brother?!"

"Pssh, know him? I check the news everyday just to see him! You've got a fantastic bro there, Iida. A hero of justice as your beloved brother, now that must be cool!"

He didn't want to say it, but the image of a scraggly, bushy haired teen entered his mind at the thought of 'brother'. He still wasn't sure how to talk to Ochako's 'brother', mostly because they never really had a talk, but there was something about him that scared Izuku. Maybe it was the red eyes, he thought idly.

Tenya seemed to be glowing with pride and from the praise that came out of Ochako's mouth. Izuku had a feeling that they were going to get along well. They exchanged a few words before Ochako suddenly grabbed Izuku's arm, winking at the surprised boy.

"Hey, it's been nice meeting you Iida. I'm glad to see Izuku's made a new friend too. Maybe you guys can talk later, I kind of need him right now. There's someone I want to introduce him to. That ok with you?"

Tenya nodded and smiled, his eyes practically brimming with happiness. Izuku felt his mouth mirroring his friend's. "Yes, of course! It was a pleasure meeting you, Uraraka-san, Izuku-kun."

"Nah, just call me Ochako and I'll call you Tenya." She laughed again. "Catch you later, Jet blaster!"

She dragged him off after that one-liner. Izuku was stumbling with surprise and slight disbelief, but mostly confusion towards their destination. They entered the squealing crowd, but the girl didn't falter and continued to push forward.

"Ochako-chan? You wanted to introduce me to someone?" He asked loudly, trying to reach her in between all the noise.

"Yeah! Special first row seats even! Izuku, trust me, meeting him will change everything."

She craned her neck back and their eyes made contact. Izuku swallowed, getting the small hint she had thrown his way.

He just hoped that it wouldn't end in disaster. His heartbeat was racing now, and his stomach was feeling really, really uneasy. Why was he feeling this way? She would never hurt him, right? Then why did he feel like pushing her away, and running straight for the hills?

 _Calm down, Izuku. You're ok. Everything's fine. Nothing is wrong. Ochako is here. She's here._

They pushed through the crowd, and everything split open. His vision was suddenly wide and clear. It was suddenly easier to breathe. They broke though the crowd, he realized, and he looked up to take a small breather. Instead, Izuku ended up face to face with a yellow pinstripe suit and a glowing smile. His heart dropped.

"ALL MIGHT! HI!" Ochako waved cheerfully, bouncing up and down.

The number one hero looked down, and his smile seemed to widen even more, as did his eyes.

Izuku felt queasy. He could faintly hear the sounds coming back to him. They were creeping up on his fragile back, whispering noises of discomfort, bringing up scars that he'd rather forget about.

His stomach churned.

He heaved right onto All Might's fancy, sparkling, and probably expensive as priceless shoes.

There were screams of hysteria and shock all around.

He wanted to die right there and then.

* * *

 **Bam! Chapter 13!**

 **I know it's been more than a month, but there were tests and all that gig again in Feburary. One of the reasons why I couldn't finish this chapter. Another is because I started playing a new game. I'm sure you can guess what it is because of the hint in this chapter.**

 **Fluff galore. It's everywhere, even in that girl's skirt! No seriously, it's everywhere.**

 **People who were waiting, you have what you wished for, I hope. TodoMomo fluff, and I loved every moment I was writing that. Now, it's not really 'love at first sight', there are elements of it, it's just what Shouto said, he's a ten year old boy who knows nothing about girls. The first girl he interacted with was Ochako (Fuyumi and Fuyuka and his grandmother don't count), and he never even saw her as a 'girl'. So he's flustered and confused about this new element to his life, and he's just nervous. So, not really 'I just met you and I love you' kind of thing. Same for Momo, Shouto's the first boy her age that she had contact with. It doesn't help that they're both attractive kids for their age either.**

 **Yes, IzuOcha. I love this pairing, and I can't help but see this Izuku having a crush on this Ochako. Ochako already had a huge attachment to him, romantic or not that is up to you to decide, but Izuku was saved and avoided death because of her. It's kind of hard not to fall in love with someone who saved your ass from the underworld, no? Then again, he is just a small kid who is socially inexperienced, so who knows what'll happen from now on.**

 **Yes, there will be romance. It won't be a huge element, I think, but it is part of the story. If you don't like a certain pair that I match up, I'm sorry, but I hope that you will continue to read the badass adventures of Uraraka Ochako.**

 **So now the fluff is coming to a magnificent close soon enough. I hope you enjoyed the Hero Gala Arc, because we'll plunging into another one soon!**

 **See you next chapter, lovely readers, reviewers, favoriters and followers! I love you all!**

 **~LunaricFairy12 'AKA Luna' ~**


	15. Chapter 14: Four mistakes of the past

**-"I am here and alive because of the people who supported me. No matter how much I thank them, it's never enough. I'm truly grateful that I had the chance to meet amazing people like them."- Midoriya Izuku.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 14: Four mistakes of the past**

" _Mom! Mom!"_

" _Yes?"_

" _Look! Look!"_

" _Alright, alright! Let's see…Oh, it's the news. I see All Might saved a couple of civilians from a villain again."_

" _Right?! Isn't he cool?!"_

" _Haha, you think so?"_

" _Yeah! He's strong and he always protects people with a smile! He's the best! I want to grow up and be like him one day!"_

" _Of course you can Izuku. You're the sweetest boy I know after all!"_

" _Hehe!"_

He saw memories. He remembered All Might's smile, how warm and blinding it was, and how he wished to be like him one day.

" _Zuku! Look, it's All Might on TV again!"_

" _Really, Kacchan?! Let me see!"_

" _Come up here! Look! He's awesome, isn't he? He breaks through any kind of defense and defeats all the bad guys in one blow! He's so strong!"_

" _Yeah! He saved a bunch of people from a collapsing building the other day too!"_

He remembered the way Kacchan always seemed to glow when he saw All Might beating up bad guys. He remembered how their ambitions were the same, and how they stood by each other.

" _K-kacchan-wh-"_

 _SMACK!_

" _Shut up, puny Deku! You don't even have a quirk! Loser!"_

" _B-but-"_

 _SPARK! BLAST!_

" _Ow!"_

" _Stay away, Deku!"_

When was it?

" _K-Kacchan, a-are you okay?"_

"… _Don't look down on me."_

" _H-huh?"_

" _DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, STUPID DEKU! WHY WOULD I NEED HELP FROM A QUIRKLESS LIKE YOU?!"_

 _BLAST!_

When was it when everything went wrong?

" _Hah, can you believe it? 'Hero Analysis for the Future'? Like doing this kind of thing would ever help!"_

" _G-give it-"_

" _Since that you don't need this, I guess you won't mind if I burn this worthless trash to dust, right?"_

Why did he change? Why did everyone change?

" _ **No need to fear! Why? Because I am here!"**_

" _All Might…Why can't I be strong like you…Why, am I quirkless…!"_

All Might. All Might.

" _Someone, please save me…"_

" _ **MIDORIYA IZUKU! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"**_

" _ **I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU!"**_

 **XXX**

Was it possible to die of utter shame and gut wrenching regret? If it was the past me, I'd say probably, I mean, I had my fair share of embarrassing experiences. Like the time I wetted my pants in the fifth grade after my friend scared the crap out of me with one of those freaky Noh masks. Or when I tripped over nothing and smacked head first into the bucket of ice cream a couple of seniors were eating out of. Or when-

Well, you get the point. I did some things in my past life I wasn't too proud of, but this?

Looking at Izuku, it almost made me feel pity for myself. He looked horribly embarrassed and horrified. He looked like he wanted to dig a hole, fill it up with poisonous weeds and spikes, throw some snakes in there for good measure and jump right in like a doing a cannonball at the local pool.

He looked pathetic and was currently curling up on one of the couches in the VIP room we were ushered into.

After Izuku heaved majestically on All Might's shoes, I rushed to his side and tried to salvage the damage, but it was no good. He looked dead, hell if he didn't puke the look on his face would look like something out of a manga, and he wasn't answering me. I couldn't even tell if he was conscious or not.

All Might immediately bent down and tried to reassure him, but Izuku didn't respond. Leaving him no choice, All Might gently carried Izuku in his big arms and asked the crowd to part and make way. He gestured for me to follow him, and so I did. We maneuvered through the whispering crowd and exited the room, and we stopped in front of another room. There were men with suits and sunglasses standing in front of them, and they nodded at All Might when we went in.

It turned out that it was a something like a VIP room, and it was just for All Might. I didn't know why the number one hero needed a resting room unlike the other heroes, but I didn't think much of it and chalked it up to 'because he was the number one hero.' Maybe there was a good reason.

He set Izuku down gingerly on the extremely posh couch, and asked me to fetch some towels from the drawer of a table not too far from the entrance. I told him that I would clean his face and asked All Might to bring some water. Lukewarm was preferred, I added. He nodded and left the huge room soon after, his steps heavy.

I got to work. I wiped his face that still had bile on, and coaxed him to take off his tuxedo jacket. He didn't respond, but after I called his name a little louder, the light suddenly returned to his eyes and he let out a small gasp, but immediately started coughing.

"O-ocha-ko-chan." He managed between coughs. I rubbed his back gently, and mustered the softest voice I could produce.

"Izuku. Can you breathe? Are you feeling better?" I wiped his cheeks that had sweat dripping down.

"I-I'm, I'm-" His eyes suddenly widened and he looked at me, desperation in his eyes.

"I-I-All Might, he-"

The door opened, and All Might peaks out. "Young Uraraka, is the young boy- oh, you are awake. That's a relief." He let out a relieved sigh and entered the room. "I brought the water that you requested." He approached us and put a few water bottles on the table beside us. I smiled up at him.

"All Might! Thank you, sorry for troubling you."

"It's not problem, I'm just glad that the young boy seems better." This time, his bright blue eyes moved to look directly at Izuku, and the small boy gulped heavily.

"A-A-A-A-A-All M-M-Might! I-I'm s-so so so so so-sorry!" He suddenly stood up and tried to bow, tilting his head towards the ground.

I panicked. "Izuku! Don't move so suddenly, you'll-"

The green haired boy immediately turned green once more, and he flopped back onto the couch while letting out a pained moan.

I sighed. "Sweetie. Calm down, he's not going to kill you." I patted his cheek and offered him a water bottle on the table. He took it gratefully and tried to sit up; I put my hand on his back to support him.

I snuck a glance at All Might. For a minute, he looked lost standing there, as if he had nowhere to go. He had a melancholy look in his eyes, and I didn't register that emotion until I thought about it harder.

He looked lonely, mourning, and wishful even.

"All Might," I called out to him. "You know, you don't have to keep standing. The couch still has some space."

He snapped out of his daze, and a slightly wavering smile appeared on his face. "Haha, of course, young Uraraka. Pardon me; I was lost in my thoughts. May I?"

The last question was directed at Izuku, who just nodded hesitantly, like he didn't trust his voice. I didn't blame him; I had no idea of his opinion about the blonde superstar anymore. There were times where he seemed to love him, his eyes still glinted whenever the hero was on the TV screen, but that light would fade almost immediately and he would look away.

The only thing I could think of was that All Might brought up some of his worst memories. The hero had inspired Izuku to want to become a hero, something that everyone deemed 'impossible' after he was discovered quirkless. He was the hero that Bakugo adored. He was the start of everything, and he was Izuku's life.

All Might's smile turned a little more genuine, and he approached the silk couch, sitting across from the greenette. The couch sunk and rose with his weight, and I registered the fact that All Might was so much heavier than he seemed.

Izuku was the first to speak up, breaking the silence between us. "A-all Might."

All Might looked at the boy lying on the couch. "Yes, young…?"

"M-Midoriya," He managed. "Midoriya Izuku."

All Might smiled once more. "Young Midoriya."

He gulped, and his eyes flittered nervously towards me. I squeezed his hand, mustering a small smile to encourage him. He took another deep breath, and his voice wasn't as shaky as before.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry for…humiliating you like that. There was so many people, and I- I can't believe that I-"

"Young Midoriya."

"Y-yes!"

"You need not worry about such trivialities." All Might's eyes were kind. "All that matters to me is that you are feeling better now, and nothing else is wrong. Shoes can be afforded, but your wellbeing cannot."

I heard Izuku gulp, and another breathy sigh left his mouth. "…Okay. T-thank you. I'm so sorry."

"My boy, you've done nothing but apologize." All Might chuckled and to my surprise, Izuku managed a small one after. I couldn't resist a small giggle myself.

The sound of someone gently knocking a door was heard. "Excuse me; I am Todoroki Shouto, one of the guests and the son of Endeavor. I heard that my friend has collapsed, and I wish to see him. May I come in?"

Izuku's eyes widened and I whistled impressively. Shouto sounded stiff and uncomfortable, but who knew he could be so professional and polite? He was a wreck during our first operation together.

"Shouto, Izuku isn't dead. He's quite fine now. Come on in!"

"Ochako?" His surprised voice was heard pass the door. The big doors to All Might's resting room were peaked open slightly, and a head with white and red hair peeped in.

I waved. The doors opened a bit more, and Shouto walked in with an exasperated expression. He spared a glance at All Might and bowed respectfully.

"Hello, All Might."

"Hello, young Todoroki." All Might smiled once more and Shouto returned the action. His gaze went to Izuku who was lying on the couch, and Izuku smiled weakly at the taller boy. I saw worry entering his eyes at the sight.

"Shouto-kun."

"Izuku. Are you okay?" He asked with concern, walking over to us. He kneeled down and put his hand on Izuku's forehead.

"He doesn't have a fever. Probably just the nerves." I informed him.

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I guess I wasn't feeling too well just now." He chuckled uneasily. "Sorry for worrying all of you…"

"If you say so." Shouto said quietly and stood up, the tone of concern still lacing his voice. He turned to face All Might who was looking at us with a warm expression, and bowed once more.

"Thank you for looking after my friend."

"O-oh! It's no problem!" All Might seemed surprised, but he immediately covered it with an energetic laugh. It could have been my imagination, but I swore there was a tone of pain in it. I stood up and decided to do the same; after all, it was All Might who brought us to this room in the first place.

"Me too. Thanks All Might."

"As long as young Midoriya fine, I do not mind. I did get to meet your friends after all, young Uraraka." All Might chuckled warmly. "Although it is quite surprising that young Todoroki happened to be one of them."

I snickered. Shouto elbowed me. I elbowed him back.

All Might laughed once more before standing up, straightening his suit with his big hands. "Well, feel free to use this room as long as you need. I'm sure the kind Yaoyorozu's would not mind." He came closer to the three of us and bended down, ruffling all of our heads gently.

"Take care now." He gave us another brilliantly bright smile and made his way towards the door. However, when his hand touched the doorknob, Izuku suddenly called out to him.

"A-All Might?"

Shouto and I looked at him in surprise. Said hero turned around, a small questionable look on his face. "Yes, young Midoriya?"

"C-can I-" Izuku took a deep breath before moving into a sitting position. He then started to stand up, and although his face was still a little green, he looked much better than before. He bowed deeply.

"May I have your autograph?!"

I blinked. Shouto blinked. All Might blinked and Izuku's eyes were shut close tightly.

"…Pfft."

Izuku jolted a little, but then All Might let out a hearty laugh.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Young boy, you do not need to act so nervous! How could I decline when I have a fan in front of me?" His grin was wide and bright.

I cracked a grin and shared a glance with Shouto. He smiled when our eyes connected, and we had a small moment of relief together.

Izuku didn't hate All Might. He was okay to a degree. Hell, maybe he even still adored and loved him, and that was all I needed to know.

All Might walked over to us in no more than a few footsteps and bended down, ruffling Izuku's hair again. The freckled boy held back something akin to a choked gasp and rummaged around, probably trying to look for a paper or something, but to no avail.

I had an idea. I ran to the windows and ignored the questioning glances my way before randomly ripping a part of the satin curtains.

"Ochako-chan?!"

"Young Uraraka?"

"Ochako?"

"Just a minute." I scavenged around the drawers of the room, looking for a marker of some sorts. To my pleasant surprise, there was a black sharpie hidden in one of them, and for a second I wondered why it was here but decided to brush it off. I ran back towards the dumbfounded trio and held it out to All Might and Izuku.

"You can sign on it here."

"O-ochako-chan, is it okay to be doing stuff like that…?" Izuku asked me uneasily. I shrugged.

"Eh, they're inviting a whole bunch of heroes over. There ought to be some rambunctious ones. I think they already expected _some_ things to be broken."

Izuku still looked worried, but All Might let out a small hum and scratched the back of his head. He seemed like he was reminiscing, and when I caught a small wince and grimace, I guessed I was right.

"Well, if young Izuku doesn't mind…" All Might took the cloth in my hand and signed it with the sharpie, his hand finishing in a small flourish. Izuku was staring at the piece of fabric as if it was his life, and All Might laughed. He ruffled Izuku's hair once more.

"All Might, is it okay, if I ask you a final question?" Izuku peeped up meekly, his hands gripping the curtain fabric nervously. All Might raised an eyebrow, but he smiled soon after.

"Of course, anything for a fan!"

Izuku's cheeks blossomed and he bit his lip. He seemed to be struggling for what to say. His eyebrows furrowed and he closed his eyes before blurting out his question,

"Can…can a quirkless, become strong?"

His question was small, quiet and faint. His voice was quivering, and his hands were shaking. My heart immediately clenched at the sight. I heard Shouto take a sharp intake of breath.

 _Oh, Izuku…_ I tensed as well, looking up at All Might. The hero's eyes were wide with surprise, and he seemed pretty taken aback. Then, his eyes softened and he let out a small hum. He bended down to the same height as Izuku, and he put a hand on the quivering boy's head.

"My boy, what do you think makes a person strong?"

Izuku's eyes opened slightly and he lifted his face a little, his green eyes finally making contact with All Might's blue. "What…makes a person strong?"

All Might nodded. "Young Midoriya, strength comes in many forms; physical, mental, emotional. It all depends on what kind of strength you wish to attain."

Izuku bit his lip once more, and for a second, his gaze flashed towards the both of us before reverting back. "I…I want to be more confident. I, I don't want to be called _De_ \- useless anymore."

All Might's eyes were kind and warm. "Then so be it. Anyone can be strong in their own way and there are many ways. However, nothing will happen until you face your troubles without running away. You must understand why you are weak, and find a way to break through. You are not alone in this endeavor, you have friends you can depend on, do you not?"

Izuku's eyes flashed towards us and a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Yes. Yes, I do." He whispered softly, closing his eyes under All Might's touch.

The tall hero then took his hand off of Izuku's head and looked at the three of us once more before standing up. He flashed us a warm smile, and I felt my heart feel lighter.

"I wish the three of you well. Goodbye, young hopes of the future." He waved us goodbye and exited the room.

 _(Not one of us caught the small grunt of pain when his side hit the doorway.)_

I plopped down on the couch right next to Izuku, and Shouto took his left. "So, how was it? Pretty cool right?" I grinned.

Izuku was quiet. Shouto reached out a hand and squeezed the smaller boy's one. "Izuku…"

"…I…" Izuku closed his eyes once more and took a deep breath. He brought the fabric with All Might's signature on it to his eyes and stared at it. My grin softened, and I leaned towards him slightly, bumping shoulders with him.

"Hey, what say we get out of here?"

"What?" Shouto looked at me in confusion, and Izuku finally looked up from his hand to stare at me. I rolled my eyes at their expressions.

"Come on, I saw the backyard just now, and it was pretty big. I'm sure if we hide there no one can find us. Endeavor included."

It wasn't hard to convince them. Izuku was in no mood to go back to the party, and Shouto did not want to see his father. Since that there were guards outside the door, we couldn't leave through the normal way. They would question us when they see us heading in the wrong direction, and it was hard to get away from the party room. So we ripped down more satin curtains, tied them together and strung them over the balcony, making a makeshift rope. Shouto tied it to a desk that was nailed to the floor (In case of earthquakes and whatnot) and we were set.

I went first and restrained the strong urge to let out a hoot as I slid down. Shouto and Izuku followed my lead as we sneaked around, dodging lights and treading carefully until we reached our destination; the backyard of the Yaoyorozu mansion.

The yard was as twice as big as my home. There were beautiful flowers, garden trees and a small fountain with a statue of a winged baby spurting water out from his mouth in the middle. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, but then again, this whole night seemed too much like a fantasy.

I took off my shoes and walked on the grass with my bare feet, feeling the grass tickle my skin. I stretched wide as Shouto and Izuku looked around with curious smiles, and I plopped onto the ground soon after.

"Ochako?"

I patted the spaces next to me. "Come on, lie down! The sky looks great when you look at it from this angle. Or are you too rich boy to do it?" I teased.

Shouto rolled his eyes above while Izuku let out a small laugh. They both took off their shoes and jackets in the process, leaving them in their white dress shirts. Shouto came down to lie down on my left, while Izuku laid on my right.

The sky was pitch black with a few faint sparkles of light. There were only a few stars visible in the night sky, but it was still beautiful enough to enjoy. Sometimes I wished I could go to the countryside and lie down in a wide open plain, staring at the sky with nothing to do but lazing about.

"…So, what do you think of tonight?" I flung my two friends a random question.

"Bad at first," Shouto stated. "But not too bad anymore."

"…I guess me too." Izuku murmured shyly. "I made a new friend, and…I did get to spend time with both of you."

My heart warmed at their comments, and I could feel my face splitting into another one of my infamous grins. "Aww. So sweet of you guys to say it. I love you guys too."

Shouto let out a breathy snort. Izuku laughed shyly and I moved my hands around to grasp both of theirs. Shouto squeezed my hand back with reassurance, and although Izuku was a little flustered, he quietly accepted my hand and gently squeezed it back as well.

It was silent for a while. The only sounds we could hear were the sounds of the party from the mansion and the faint speeding of cars. All we did was look up at the night sky with our hands intertwined with each other, and it was the most peaceful moment I had ever spent ever since we arrived at the gala.

It was times like this when I think that I was glad that I came to this world, no matter strange it may be.

The silence was broken when Izuku spoke up. "…Ochako-chan, Shouto-kun."

Shouto let out a small hum.

"Yeah?"

"…Thank you."

"What're you thanking us for?"

"For inviting me to this party. For letting me meet All Might."

"Izuku," My voice was tender and soft. "Do you want to be a hero?"

I heard a sharp intake of breath. "…I-I don't know. I don't exactly have the one thing needed for it, and I-I'm not strong. I'm weak and powerless; I can't even stand up to…the people who hurt me."

"But you're kind. You're warm and understanding, you have empathy. You can save others even without a quirk. There's a ton of ways." I said quietly. Although I couldn't see him, I had a feeling Shouto nodded.

"Sometimes, the best way to save a person is not through force, but through words. You can do that. And we both know that you can't leave a person who needs help."

"…Since when?" Izuku's voice was a whisper. "Since when have my existence helped anyone?"

"The crying lady who lost her engagement ring two days ago. You were the only one who stopped to listen and help. The cat stuck in the ridiculously tall tree at the park. Shouto and I nearly had a heart attack when we saw you trying to climb the damn thing. Heck, even being a friend to someone is a great way of helping them."

"Those were different. What I did back there… it was just the right thing to do." His voice was paper thin. In contrast to that, my voice was firm and unwavering.

"There are people who can't do that and the fact that you can is an amazing thing. You've changed Izu. You're no longer the hurt boy who couldn't do anything when I found you."

"…Izuku. Do you want to be a hero?" Shouto repeated my question.

The wind blew gently. The faint trickling of the fountain was heard throughout the yard. There was a small sound, a chime, and I realized that it was the sound of a bell. My eyes went to the gates and I saw them opening, and cars waiting at the entrance. The doors to the mansion opened, and there were only a few, but people were leaving. The party must be ending, I thought faintly in my head.

Then, Izuku's grip on my hand tightened and suddenly my entire focus was on him once again.

"…Yes." Izuku answered.

His voice was small and faint and it seemed like it would disappear into the wind anytime soon, but his grip was tight, and I knew that things were going to be alright.

 **XXX**

We went back inside the Yaoyorozu mansion as quietly as possible. Thinking back, we probably should have done something about the plantation on our bodies and clothes, but luckily Endeavor didn't comment on our grassy appearance.

I probably should have followed them out the door as soon as the three of them did, but I stayed behind for a few moments.

Why?

"I wonder if there are any leftovers…" I muttered as I approached where I thought to be the kitchen cautiously. If any of the chefs saw how I acted during the gala, there was a high chance that they wouldn't give me any leftovers, if they had any. They probably did.

My family was poor okay, I needed some comfort damn it!

"Oof!"

I was so deep in my imagination of caviar that I didn't watch my steps and bumped into a stranger. I heard a soft grunt during the impact, and I looked up to apologize.

"Sorry mister! I didn't mean to, are you okay?"

The weirdo I bumped into… was a real weirdo. I assumed he was a guy because of the body structure and short, brown hair. He was wearing a mask and a scarf that covered most of his face.

The mask looked like it was made for a masquerade, the decoration covering the tops and bottom of his eyes, and it slightly curved onto his nose. It had simple swirly designs in silver on it, and there were black feathers sprouting from the top and side, making him look like a human crow of some sorts. The black scarf was brought up right to his mouth, and for some reason, his weird accessories matched with the crisp, black suit he wore.

When his eyes came down to make contact with mine, I felt my body freeze.

His eyes were bloodshot, the whites tinged with red as his brown eyes seemed to glint in the chandelier light, turning them a faint gold. Those eyes were looking at me in a way that made me feel a chill down my spine, and I realized that I felt _fear_ just by looking at this man's eyes.

Whoever this guy was, he didn't look like a superhero or a regular man.

"Pardon me." His voice was smooth and deep, and as scary as he looked, his voice was reassuring, but that only served to higher my guards more. "I did not see you as well. Have I hurt you in anyway?"

My voice was stuck in my throat, but I managed to smile and push it out. "Yeah! I'm good. Sorry man, didn't mean to. Well, uh, I guess I'll be going."

"Farewell." He bid me goodbye as I walked pass him, but I could feel his eyes on me. Sweat appeared at the back of my neck, and I resisted every single urge to bolt out of there immediately.

When I entered a certain set of doors, my shoulders finally slumped down. The haunting look in his eyes didn't fade from my mind, and the chill I felt when I bumped into him was still making goosebumps on my skin.

Then, the scent of delicious meat and cheese entered my nose, and I looked up.

There was a plate with a few slabs of meat on it, probably the meatloaf that was at the buffet table. The cheese in it was slightly oozing out, giving the meat a more delicious and heavenly appearance than necessary, but it looked amazing and I wanted it nonetheless.

I pushed the memory of golden eyes haunting my mind to the back of it and rubbed my hands together.

For some strange reason, there were no chefs around, but I didn't think much of it.

I had a dish to smuggle after all.

 **XXX**

The man jumped over the gates and landed lightly on his feet.

He inhaled deeply and exhaled, clenching his fingers tightly until his nails dug into his skin. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the feeling of someone _touching_ him _(the disgusting, horrible, trash-),_ and managed to calm his flared nerves for a moment.

He inhaled and exhaled once more, and his hand reached up to remove the mask from his face. He lightly pulled down the scarf and revealed his mouth to the night air. He breathed it in for a while, his eyes closed.

Then, the phone in his pocket rung.

He picked it up with light movements, and brought the device to his ear. "Yes?"

"Boss, we've arrived. At the parking lot of the convenience store, as you ordered."

"Alright. I'll be there soon." He hung up and kept his phone back into his pocket.

Short. Slightly tanned skin with small scars and firm legs, proof of training. He could recall the details of the girl he was supposed to meet today, and for a second, he really wondered if that was the girl that that man wanted.

He recalled her guarded brown eyes, and finally understood. That girl was not one of her age, she looked too different compared to the starry eyed children he had seen before.

He started to walk, the heels of his shoes tapping against the pavement lightly. He ruffled around the inside of his suit jacket and found the item he was looking for. He pulled the mask out and strapped it to the bottom of his face, covering his mouth and the subtle grin that threatened to appear.

The sharp end of the long beak seemed to glint in the moonlight.

 **XXX**

Summer came and went; it was time for autumn to show its head.

The heat disappeared and was replaced by chilly winds and low temperatures. The lush green leaves of the tree were gone and transformed into beautiful reds, oranges and yellows. The chilly season was a season for eating, reading and training.

True to that, Izuku saw Ochako drooling at the section of cup ramen the last time him, Shouto and her went on a shopping trip with their family.

He bought more notebooks from the stationary shop as well. His hand was trembling when he finally took a marker and wrote the title, but when he opened the notebook and grabbed a pencil, everything seemed to flow naturally. Before he knew it, a rough sketch of Ochako was on the first page and Shouto was on the next, their quirks, strengths and weakness listed besides the drawing. He didn't realize it was late in the night when he finally finished the first two pages. His mother cried when she saw the words 'Hero analysis for the future Re: no.1' scribbled on the cover of the notebook on his table.

Also, the workouts between the three of them were getting more intense. During the summer, all Izuku mostly did was running and muscle training, and although he was nowhere as well built as the two of them, he was less skinny and had more muscle compared to before. His skin color was darker now, and when he looked in the mirror, he didn't feel as pathetic anymore.

Now, he was actually learning how to fight. When they first started, he was a little frightened, to be honest, but the fear soon disappeared into curiosity and eagerness. Both Ochako and Shouto were encouraging and helpful, and he didn't want to betray their expectations.

It was nice to be expected for greatness.

"Okay, so rule number one. Don't be afraid to fight dirty." Ochako raised a finger to emphasize her point. Izuku cocked his head to the side.

"But, isn't that kind of like…cheating?"

"Izuku, my young grasshopper bean, there is no such thing as cheating in a fight. There is only wit and the will to keep your life alive. Throw sand into their eyes, kick in between the legs, wham their throat or even go for the eyes with two fingers, anything's okay so as long as it works." Ochako looked seriously at him.

"It's better to fight dirty than to die." He could see Shouto frowning in the background, then shrugging.

Izuku wasn't too keen on fighting like that, but she had a point. He valued his arms and legs and his vital organs after all. They taught him how to throw punches and kick, and he wasn't as bad as he expected himself to be.

His room was filling once more. Weights and dumbbells were at the corner, and his desk usually had notebooks piled on it. His shelf had more books than before, most of them being about fighting and heroes, and a few strategic books he found at the bookstore. A poster of All Might was on his wall above the desk, and when he looked at it, he could recall the feeling of the hero's hand on his head and his warm smile, and all his exhaustion and doubt lightened.

His life was amazingly better.

Too bad it had to change when he bumped into Kacchan – Bakugou at the hallway.

It was a bad day for Izuku. His hair was frizzier and wavier because of the rain that morning, and he spilled his chocolate milk all over his pants during breakfast. His mood was dampened even further when a car rushed pass him and water splashed all over his body the moment he stepped out of the house. He had to run to school because of the delay, and ended up being late anyways.

He just had to bump straight into the very person he avoided like the plague during lunch break with his bento in his hands.

When the bell rang and signaled that it was lunch break, Izuku had grabbed his bento and tried to leave the classroom the first thing. Bullies were still bullies, and although Kacchan- Bakugou, picked on him less compared to before, there were still others. He wasn't willing to take a chance, so he tried to hurry to a more secluded place in the school; the toilets. Too bad when he was walking the hallway, he had been paying too much attention to his side and behind that he neglected the front, and the disaster happened.

The rice spilled out of the container and onto the blonde's shirt. His favorite meatballs slapped onto his chest and rolled to the floor along with the potato salad. The bento box clattered to the ground, and everyone watching or passing by was silent with horror. Izuku just stared blankly at his ruined lunch on the floor before he realized who he spilt his food on.

He heard the sounds of sparking and his body froze. The sparking got nearer, and a fist struck him across his face.

He let out a pained grunt and staggered to the side, his hands going up to hold the stinging cheek. To his credit, he didn't fall on his butt, and he used to every time the blonde had even so much as touched him. He opened his eyes painfully to see a furious Bakugou, with bared teeth and a bloodshot glare.

"Deku." He gritted out. "What the hell do you think you've done?"

His bad habits kicked in and he let out a whimper. "I-I'm sorry, K-Ka-"

He bit his tongue and stopped himself from saying that name. He sucked in a small breath and exhaled, telling himself frantically to calm down. "I-I didn't mean to."

Bakugou cocked an eyebrow and growled. His palms sparked and Izuku flinched, taking a step back and his eyes cast down. He was scared, he was afraid. He didn't want to be here anymore, it was too painful. It brought up too many memories and he felt like dropping to his knees.

"You fucking quirkless." Bakugou grinded out the word hatefully. "Looks like you're asking for a beating, huh?"

No. Go away. Get away.

 _ **Nothing will happen until you face your troubles without running away.**_

A warm smile invaded his thoughts. Reassuring words and brightness reached out and dragged him out from the darkness his mind was falling into, and suddenly, he could breathe again. He blinked, and his lips curled tightly.

"N-No."

Bakugou's eyes widened, and the kids that hung around did the same, a few gasps accompanying them.

"What the fuck did you say?"

"N-No." He tightened his fists and looked up, meeting those red eyes head on without looking away. The scar on his knee throbbed faintly. "No. I said sorry. I-I didn't mean to spill my lunch on you. I'll lend you my P.E. clothes if you want."

Shit, shit, shit, what was he doing? He cursed in his head, the words that escaped his mouth were shaking and his lips were trembling, but he was heard. He was heard for the first time in forever, and he didn't know what would happen from now on, but he couldn't bring himself to _care_ anymore.

He was sick and tired of Kac- Bakugou pushing him around. He didn't want him to poke fun at him, call him names, tell him a fact that he had come to terms with and still decided to push on anyways.

He was done. He wasn't the kid who cried himself to sleep, the kid who played with scissors and cutters and carved pain on his wrists, the kid who decided to jump off a building to end his life. He had a meaning to live now. He had her, him, he had his dreams and he wasn't giving them up. Not to Bakugou.

He wasn't prepared when the blonde suddenly lunged at him. In an instant, he remembered the words that Shouto had told him when an enemy rushed at you.

He recalled the movements Ochako did. He remembered how his body moved when they took turns rushing at him, and his body responded.

He twisted his body to the side Bakugou, grabbed the blonde's right arm, twisted his body to make his back face the charging spitfire, and put his back into it. He let out a strangled yell, and _pulled_.

Bakugou was flung over his shoulder and his back met the floor with a loud smack and thump. He wringed out a pained scream and Izuku was panting, looking down at his shocked red eyes that opened to see him.

Izuku's lips twitched, and he wanted to cry. He bit his bottom lip, and his fingers trembled.

Bakugou's face distorted into the most horrifying glower that Izuku had ever seen him make.

Bakugou got to his feet quickly, but Izuku was faster. He drew back his fist and slugged the blonde across the face, the exact same spot he had hit him, before he could stand up properly. He didn't give his bully anytime to rest; he went for the throat next and landed a hit on his target with a firm kick. Bakugou gasped and spit flew from his mouth as he kneeled on the ground.

Izuku had hit harder than he had expected. He felt a strange emotion bubbling in him and he felt like puking.

Bakugou coughed and hacked on the ground. Izuku knew that his time was up when Bakugou's palms started to spark furiously once more. Maybe he had a chance then, but he didn't stand anything against Bakugou's quirk, and he still couldn't forget the burn that scarred his skin. He heard panicked screams and someone shouting for a teacher. He did the rational thing and fled, running as fast as his legs could take him, and ran all the way until he exited the school and left the grounds.

His stamina had improved wonderfully, he had managed to run all the way back to his apartment without stopping, although his lungs were greatly in need for air and his heart was thumping so strongly that it could jump out of his chest. He rapped on the door with heavy gasps, and when he croaked out that it was him to the intercom, the wooden door flung open to see his mother with wide eyes and a worried expression,

"Izuku?! Why-? That bruise-"

"H-had a f-fight." He wheezed out as he entered his safe home. "I-I-"

"Izuku, calm down, please." She gently guided him to the living room and he plopped down onto the couch with heavy panting. "Let me get you some water and a first aid-kit, okay?"

He nodded and she left, coming back to his side swiftly. He drank the water in the cup slowly as to not choke, and when he found his voice, he told her everything.

He skipped school that day, but the warmth of his mother's arms around his was unforgettable.

The damage was done; he had stood up to Bakugou and probably gave him two bruises. He had talked back. He was still the quirkless Deku, but he had stood up for himself and he still couldn't believe he did that. There was no turning back anymore; sooner or later, he had to face the source of his pain.

After all these years, he was going to have a talk with Bakugou Katsuki.

 **XXX**

My mind was blown.

Figuratively, but still.

I was flabbergasted. I was astonished. I felt like even if a huge bucket of seafood ramen and UFOs fell out of the sky it wouldn't compare to the amount of shock and glee when I heard the news over a house phone.

Izuku. Slugged. Bakugou.

And he made it out with just a bruise to his face.

You couldn't imagine how much I jumped and cheered and hooted in the dead of the night until Tenko threw a pillow at me to shut me up (It developed into a pillow war, but hey, I needed a way to release my energy).

So when Izuku asked me to accompany him to that boom brat's house, I was half tempted to bring a banner to rub the fact that Izuku punched the shit out of him, but settled for a sticky note that had the words 'HAH!' spelt on it instead. Yes, I was planning on slapping that sucker on his back.

We walked on the street, my hands in the pockets of my brown coat and Izuku's in his green mittens. His eyes were shifting and his lips were trembling, and I was sure it wasn't because of the chill. I let out a small breath and took my left hand out, reaching to pat the greenette's shoulder.

"Izu?" He jumped lightly and turned to face me.

"Y-yeah?"

"You're trembling like a newborn deer. Are you okay?" I asked him with concern lacing my voice.

He pursed his lips. "I-I'm not sure. I-I've always avoided Ka-Bakugou, so to be honest, I'm not even sure if whatever I say will get to him, you know? I guess, I'm still really, really, really scared of him, and I just can't shake the memory of his hands sparking and the burns, and-well, a lot of things… I, I don't know Ochako-chan, what if this is a really bad idea?"

"Hey, it's going to be fine. You talked with Mitsuki on the phone right? I'm sure she told that prideful idiot about me accompanying you, and trust me, if we combine our powers, we can do anything. Hell, you slugged that piece of crap in the face and held him off for like what, two minutes?" I gently smiled at him and my hand went down to squeeze his hand. Izuku's cheeks flushed lightly as his eyes bore into mine.

"You can do it. I'll be here every step of the way. You're not alone, Izuku."

His beautiful green eyes flashed, and I saw a kind of deep affection in them. His twitching lips finally pulled up into a smile, and he let out a shaky breath before inhaling once more. "Ok."

We reached the doorstep of the Bakugou family. Izuku rang the doorbell, and my hand never left his. The door opened with a click, and it swung open to reveal Mitsuki. Her red eyes flickered between the two of us, and a grim smile appeared on her face. She gestured for us to come inside.

"He's in his room."

"Thank you, Mitsuki-san." Izuku said softly and bowed to the older woman. I tried my best to grin and tilted my head. The usually energetic blonde pursed her lips and kneeled down to our height, her hand reaching out to ruffle Izuku's dark green locks. Said boy let out a noise of surprise.

"Izuku. He's not in a good mood right now, so I want to apologize in advance. I'm so sorry for whatever my son has done to you, I'm so sorry for causing you and Inko so much pain. I wish I could make everything up to you two."

"It's okay Mitsuki-san." Izuku looked up and smiled at the woman shakily. "It's not your fault, it never was. We could never blame you. Mom…she's looking forward to that sweet's shop by the way. I hope both of you have fun."

Mitsuki's eyes were full of surprise, and then tears started to appear in them. She let out a choked sob and pulled Izuku to her body, hugging him firmly before giving him another pat on the head and let go. She sent me another quivering smile, and I responded by giving her a thumbs up and winking. Her smile stabilized after that, and she left the hallway and entered the door to the living room.

We walked down the hallway until we reached a door with a sign that had 'Katsuki' written in bright red crayon hanging outside. I looked at Izuku once more, and his gaze met mine. I squeezed his hand and nodded, giving him the best reassuring smile I could give. He let out a breath of air, and nodded, squeezing my hand.

He raised his fist and knocked the door.

It was silent for a while.

The door flung open, and bloodshot red eyes glared at the both of us. "Deku." Bakugou spat, venom lacing every inch of his words. "Round face."

"It's Uraraka and Midoriya, dumbass." I corrected. "Or should I call you 'temperamental asshat' to be even?"

"Ochako-chan." Izuku nudged my side as Bakugou growled even deeper, veins popping the side of his face. "K…Bakugou." Bakugou's eyebrows furrowed at the way he was addressed, and confusion seeped into his expression before hardening again.

Izuku exhaled, his hand tightening. "We…We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about, quirkless?" The blonde snapped. "You're a weakling and I'm the strongest. You can't do shit while I can do everything. There's nothing else to understand."

Izuku's other hand clenched into a fist. I was doing everything in my power not to wham the bitch in the jaw. "Y-you're wrong."

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. "Deku."

"You're wrong! I-I'm not, u-useless. I'm weak, but...I know that y-you have weakness too." Izuku's hands were trembling and he pushed himself to look at the blonde in the eyes. "Y-you don't like winter and snow. You're proud, and arrogant, and you don't care about others."

"Deku." Bakugou's mouth turned into a sneer and his face glowered. "Shut the fuck up."

"You-You think that the world revolves around you!" Izuku raised his voice, determination slowly turning his cowardliness into shaky confidence. "You're wrong, Kacchan! You shouldn't have hurt me just because I don't have a quirk! People…no matter who they are, have a right to live! Just because I'm weaker than you doesn't mean that you can tell me to jump off a building!"

"I was fucking joking about that, Deku! How should I have known you'd take that seriously dumbass?!" Bakugou roared, his palms sparking. Izuku didn't back down.

"You burned me, hit me, you've done every kind of torture you could do on me, and it wasn't enough? You had to tell me to kill myself?" Izuku snapped, and his grip on my hand tightened as he tried desperately to hide the quiver in his voice. I pursed my lips and stayed quiet, watching the two of them. "I cut my wrists, Kacchan! I used to think that I was everything you told me! I was a weak, helpless, waste of oxygen; I should die and relieve everyone of my existence! Do you honestly know how I felt?! Do you know how much pain you caused me while you stayed comfy in your own little bubble?!"

The anger that was on the blonde's face morphed into one of shock. His eyes were wide open and he looked like the moon dropped down to earth. He couldn't believe that his childhood friend was yelling at him with teary eyes. His eyes darted to Izuku's wrists, then the burn on his knee and then to the bruise on his face.

"I wanted to die." His voice was thin and became a horrified whisper. "I wanted to get away from you. I wanted to run and run, but no matter how far I went, you would always catch me." He bit his lip and let go of my hand. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal a scar on his upper arm that looked like another burn.

"You gave me this when we were six, do you remember? And the one on my knee? You gave it to me when we were four." His voice was choked. "Are you ever satisfied? You've done all of this to me already. I'm sick and tired; I want this to stop, Kacchan. I want you to tell me why you betrayed me after you got your quirk; I just want to get this over with. So tell me…why?"

I clenched my fist and glared at the unmoving blonde. The hate I felt swirling in me churned and bubbled, I could feel my body tensing and trembling. The fucking bastard, he did all of that to Izuku, and for what? A way to breed his fat ego? A sick form of entertainment? Whatever it was, I would never forgive him. He caused my angel so much pain; I would've made him feel ten times the pain he caused if it wasn't for Izuku who stopped me.

Bakugou's fist clenched, and the blank look in his eyes faded, and a hostile look replaced it.

"Shut up," He whispered. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! Shut up, fucking Deku! Don't you dare lecture me when you're the one at fault!"

"What?" Izuku's voice was faint.

"You heard me! You were the one who betrayed me first! You were the one who always looked down on me! You were the one who wouldn't shut up every time you lost to me! You were the one who always looked at me with…those fucking eyes!" He snarled, and he slammed the door to the wall and pounced.

I intercepted his attack. My leg kicked out to make contact with his outstretched palm, and I heard a loud smack and a strained groan of pain. His fist sparked and I winced when I felt the heat sear my socks. I set my foot down and bit my lip from letting a scream out when I felt the bottom of my feet throb with pain. Bakugou took a step back and sneered at me.

"Move."

"Not in your wildest dreams." I retorted, curling my toes. "Get back and stay back, bastard. Or I'll call the police and inform them of what you did."

Bakugou's eyes widened and he snarled. "The fuck-"

"You used a quirk on a little boy, and even using a quirk without permission is banned in the first place. Izuku has the burns and scars to prove it, so I suggest you back off, _rabid dog._ "

"Ochako-chan…" I heard Izuku shakily put a hand on my shoulder. "T-thank you. It's okay now."

"No it's not. This little fucker hasn't regretted a single thing he's done to you." I growled. "Coming here was a waste of time Izu. This guy can't even get a single apology out of his dirty mouth. There's no point, he's a monster who can't be reasoned with. Let's go." I grabbed Izuku's hand and stormed off, leaving the blonde in the dust.

I ignored Izuku's protests and walked out the door, leaving the damn house. It wasn't until we got out onto the street that my grip on Izuku's hand finally weakened, and his wrist left my custody.

I stopped when I heard his footsteps pause. I heard a small sigh and a soft voice, "Ochako-chan…"

"I know, I know." I felt frustration curl in my heart. "I know. But Izu, you saw him. He's not a good person. I thought…I thought he was better than that, I really did. But he's not, and people like that? They don't change Izuku. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Izuku's voice was gentle. I turned back to see him looking at me with teary eyes. "I was the one who wanted to come. I was the one who thought that I could reason with him. I guess…I was being an idiot, huh?"

I approached him and wrapped my arms around his quivering frame. "It's not your fault either. What happened to make him hate you isn't your fault. You just showed him kindness and compassion, but he took it the wrong way. He's not worth your emotions."

His breathing was shaky, but his arms came up to wrap around me, and I felt his nose nuzzle my shoulder. "…He wasn't always like that. He used to be a good friend until we became four….He was kind, and warm, and he protected me, you know? I…I don't know why…why…?"

I squeezed his body tighter. He didn't cry, but I knew he wanted to, and all I could do was hold him close.

 **XXX**

 _Idiot._

 _ **It's not my fault.**_

 _You pushed him away. You hurt him. It's your fault._

 _ **No, no, no. It's okay, it's never my fault, it's always his, his, his, his-**_

 _Monster. Villain. You're not fit to be a hero._

Katsuki let out a scream and blasted his door. The once normal door now had a huge scorch mark in the middle, but he was too busy panting and thinking to care.

Those eyes, he was looking at him with those _fucking_ eyes again. Those eyes that screamed 'I know who you really are', 'You're not this kind of person'.

What did Deku know? What did Uraraka know? They both knew nothing; they didn't know anything about him. Who were they to decided how he was and wasn't?

He recalled the burns on Deku's skin. He recalled the agonizing screams of pain he heard whenever he inflicted a new wound on the helpless boy, and he wanted to puke. Fun? Pain was fun? Since when? Since when had he found Deku's pain fun?

Did he do all of that? Did he make another human being think all of those thoughts? Did he almost kill Deku? Just because of those fucking eyes?

What was wrong with him? Why? What happened?

Why? Deku had asked him that question. Deku had asked him why he started hurting him. Katsuki wasn't so sure anymore. The reason disappeared into the depths of his mind, lost and forgotten. That meant he was hurting Deku just because he could. Why? Why did he do that?

Uraraka. She called him a monster. How could she. How could she when he didn't even know what he was anymore.

Katsuki ignored his mother's shouts as he opened the front door.

 **XXX**

I let go of Izuku. His eyes were slightly rimmed with red, but he was looking at me with certain steadfastness. I laced our fingers together, and I smiled at him.

"Come on, let's go home."

We were supposed to go to Izuku's apartment today. Shouto said he was busy with morning training, but he would be at his place by three in the afternoon. We were supposed to laugh and eat marshmallows and watch crappy third rate kung fu movies because it was a Saturday, and we did that stuff on that certain day.

It was too bad though.

Because the next thing I knew, a black van raced up to us, and I felt mind numbing coldness. The last thing I remember was Izuku screaming as I was dragged into a murky darkness.

 **XXX**

Katsuki burst out the door and he saw.

He saw a black van run up to Uraraka and Deku. The van's door opened, and a something akin to a steel pole jabbed out and stabbed Uraraka straight through her stomach.

Blood was everywhere. Izuku was frozen to the spot, his mouth open and a strangled scream out. Blood flew onto the boy's face and clothes, but he couldn't move and just watched as whoever in the vehicle pulled her body in, and she disappeared into the van.

Katsuki's hand quivered, before he blasted himself in the direction of the van's course. He let out his hand, prepared to make another blast- anything, anything that would distract the fucking black thing- but he couldn't even reach the damn road in the first place. His projecting blast was too weak.

He tumbled onto the concrete roughly as the van sped past him, leaving a blood soaked Izuku, a helpless Katsuki, and two scarred boys behind.

 **XXX**

A week later, a pot filled with hot water crashed to the ground as Tenko stared numbly at the paper in his hand. He could faintly hear Hana and Yuji freezing up as the three of them read what the police officer gave them.

 _Uraraka Ochako, ten years old, is now classified as dead._

* * *

 **Here comes the end to the miraculous fluff. One of the most important arcs in this story has begun.**

 **I wonder how many people can guess what really happened at the end? I really can't wait to write the upcoming plot, and I have been thinking of this thing for a long, long time. I only hope that it won't take me a month again, but eh…**

 **Thank you all my reviewers, favoriters and followers! A special shout-out to seether0001106's review! Seriously, I could read that many times and still laugh my ass off. My hat's tipped to you, my dear reader. I love the way you portrayed high school OchaIzuShou.**

 **So, I hope you look forward to the next chapter! See you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	16. Chapter 15: The birth of a zero

**-"It's not bad to dream. But you need to consider what's realistic."-**

 **-"Yeah, but reality sucks and I want to spray whipped cream all over it. Sometimes I wish I could just press a restart button, or a dreaming forever button. That'd be awesome."- An anime character and a 24 year old woman.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 15: The birth of a zero**

The faint sound of footsteps resounded through the empty hallway.

The man with the crow mask had his hands in his pockets as his pristine, white shoes moved forward. He paid no attention to his surroundings, only focusing on a door on the right side of the hallway a few meters away. When he reached said door, not even a knock was made as he swung it open, inviting himself into the area.

The room he entered was similar to a hospital room. The walls and ceiling were white, as was the bed that was in the middle that held its only occupant. The unconscious girl on the bed was still not moving although the soft rise and fall of her chest indicated life. She was dressed in a simple hospital gown, bandages around her stomach and head. White strands of hair poked out from the small spaces between the bandages, and her skin was sickly pale.

The man approached her sleeping figure. He bent over slightly, putting two fingers on her face and pushing her right eye open, and as exactly as he suspected, the iris and the pupil were not as clear as the brown that he saw that day.

He released her eye from his pull and straightened his back, standing up straight beside her bed. A few knocks on the door followed soon after, and he let out a small questioning hum.

"Who is it?"

"Chisaki. It is Kurogiri. May I enter?"

"Call me Boss, Haze." The man in the crow's mask corrected absentmindedly. The door clicked open and a man in a simple suit with black mist in the place of his hands and head entered.

Kurogiri – Haze, apologized quietly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." The brown haired man known as Chisaki waved his hand. "Do remember though, that the next time you slip up, it may be the end of your days. We can't afford having this girl remembering after all the trouble we went through."

Haze nodded slowly, his glowing yellow eyes narrowing. "Yes, Boss."

"How did the mission go?" Chisaki asked, his eyes never leaving the figure on the bed.

"It went mostly as planned. Setsuno Toya and Tengai Hejiki managed to successfully puncture her in the stomach while avoiding her most vital areas; and much of the spilt blood had landed on Midoriya Izuku. The interference of Bakugou Katsuki was unexpected however, but we assume that his arrival may not cause as much damage as we fear. The pills were fed to her the moment she was properly taken care of and dressed."

Chisaki let out a small hum of acknowledgement. "Any side effects?"

"Her recovery abilities have increased. Her wound healed itself faster than we anticipated, and she should be awake in a few days. As you can see, her brown hair has turned permanently white, and her eyes have turned a more cloudy color compared to her original. According to Chronostasis– Kronos, the pill may have slightly robbed her of her eyesight, and her vision may get exceedingly worse as time goes on. He is now trying to create a new medicine for her, but as of now, there are no ways to stop the process."

Chisaki silently drummed his fingers on the side of his pants. "Her memory?"

"We are not certain of its disappearance. I will inform you when she wakes up."

"Good. And her death?"

"One of our experiments is ready, and her DNA was inputted into it as well. It is ready for testing anytime. A body is also ready, sir."

"Well done. Contact the family that wanted it."

With that final word, Chisaki turned on his heels and exited the room, bidding a goodbye to the black mist with a small nod of his head.

Chisaki adjusted the mask on his face as he walked down the hallway once again. This time however, as he continued to move on, the lights that were illuminating the long passage started to get dimmer and dimmer. After a few turns, he finally got to the door that he was meaning to enter.

He tapped on the steel plate next to it, and it split in half to reveal a hand scanner. He placed a calloused hand on the machine, and only a few seconds passed before the red light on the lock of the door turned green. He took off his hand and opened the door, and stepped into the elevator. The elevator went down, and he exited it when it arrived at its destination.

In front of him was a door with huge steel bolts jabbed into it.

He knocked on it twice, the metallic sound sounding out. "It's me."

There was a small beat before a deep voice answered, "Come in."

The crow opened the heavy door without even showing the slightest sign of struggle, and entered the room to see a heavily bandaged man sitting on a plush, black chair.

The door closed behind Chisaki Kai with a screech like nails on a chalkboard.

 **XXX**

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

 _Click._

"Who is this? What business do you have with us?"

" _Ah, the ever cautious one, aren't you, Silverglaze?"_

"…I'm afraid I have no clue of what you are talking about, sir."

" _No need to worry. I only come with a warning for you."_

"Excuse me, but I'm quite busy right now-"

" _Your son. He will be in danger in approximately two hours from now on. From my calculations, he should be around the west side of the city by then, hmm?"_

"…You."

" _It was a pleasure hearing your voice, diamond dust. May we meet again."_

A pause.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

 _Click._

" _The Uraraka residence, how can I-"_

 **XXX**

There was a harsh ringing in my head.

It felt strange. I felt strange. I felt as if someone had popped my head open, poured bleach into in and gave my skull a couple shakes before emptying it out.

Empty. That was what this weird feeling was. And of course, the horrendous headache that was trying to maul my apparently non-existent mind.

My vision was awfully blurry when my eyes opened slightly, and my head threatened to kill me. My breathing was stable and I could feel my heart beating, so I guessed that I wasn't dead. I tested my fingers and they twitched as my toes did when I attempted to curl them. After a few minutes of trying out my body, I decided to sit up to get a better look at the place I was in.

The moment I tried to push myself up, a sharp pain ran though my abdomen and I let out a breathy cry, flopping back onto the bed I was apparently in.

As I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming any more, the pain in my stomach gradually faded. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, and tried to twist my head to the side in an attempt to look around. Unfortunately, the blur in my eyesight was not fading, so I could hardly see anything clearly.

Then I heard the sound of a door opening, and footsteps approaching me. My heartbeat quickened.

"It seems that you are awake," It was a deep and soothing voice, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad." I croaked out. "…Where?"

"Home. You are home." The voice responded, and I tried to twist my head once more so that I could face the direction of the talking man.

"Home?"

I saw a blur shaped like a human, only the strange fact that there were blackish blobs that looked like mist floating around his head and hands. I blinked once more, trying to get rid of the annoying blur coating my vision, but to my distress, it wasn't fading away at all.

"Yes," The voice repeated. "Home."

Home. Why did that sound so…weird?

The harsh ringing in my head seemed to get louder, and I winced painfully. "My head…hurts."

"Please try to settle down. Do not act rashly or you might worsen your condition." There was a sound of water being poured into a cup, and I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. "May I?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. The hand on my shoulder slipped under my back and softly pushed me up, another hand coming up to hold my other shoulder to stabilize me. I felt a small pain in my stomach once again, but I clenched my teeth and bore with it.

A cup was put to my lips and I drank the liquid in it, feeling the cold water bring relief to my sore throat. After drinking the entire cup, the man who was holding me gently put me down onto the bed I was sleeping on, and his misty feeling hands left my body.

"Are you feeling better?"

"…Yeah. A little."

"Good." There was a small shuffle, and the man spoke once more. "Please excuse me."

"Wha-?" Something was placed on my nose, and my vision cleared all of a sudden.

I felt a rushing headache hit me and I hissed loudly. "What the-" My voice died in my throat the moment I saw the man who had taken care of me.

It was a man, obviously, but he had black mist for hands and a head. He was wearing a neat, expensive looking suit with a striped tie. Yellow, glowing stilts took the shape of his eyes, and a few metal plates were around where I supposed to be his neck.

"Who…are you?" I asked confusedly.

"Apologies." His voice was smooth and calm. "My name is Haze."

"Haze?" That name didn't ring a bell in my head. I narrowed my eyes, feeling suspicion and slight fear taking over. "Do I…know you?"

"You do, or should I say, did. I am one of the workers under your father."

"Workers…? Father? What do you mean…?"

A sigh was heard from the man. "I apologize. Shall I explain from the top?"

I nodded hesitantly. Not one word coming out of this man's mouth was making any sense to me. Workers? Father? What was he talking about? Why couldn't I remember anything? Why was my head so blank?

Haze grabbed a chair that was near my bed and placed it beside me, sitting on it soon after. I didn't move my body, only keeping my head facing him.

"What do you remember about this world?"

I closed my eyes, trying to recall. The loud ringing in my head had settled down, and it was more of a dull sound that caused a minor headache. "…This world. It's full of humans with…weird abilities, right?"

"Yes, they are called quirks. Most of the population has these strange abilities."

"And because of that…There was a job called, uh, heroes, I think? They save people, right?"

He nodded once more. "Correct. However, not all of these 'heroes' are as noble as the public claims them to be."

"What do you mean?" I blinked as I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Heroes in our society, they are paid for their jobs and earn fame for their actions. The money you can earn from being a hero is much more than a regular every day job, so there are many people who strive to become one. Not because of the selfless act of saving, no, because of their own selfish desires."

The crease between my eyes increased. I did not like the sudden strike of pain that had hit me straight in the heart. "…That's, not good."

"Yes, you are right. This society is corrupted by the very beings that claim to save it and their actions cause… a lot of forces to go up against them."

I felt another click in my head, as if a puzzle piece getting into the right spot. "Villains? But, aren't they technically…bad? They hurt people…"

There was a faint sound coming from Haze, and I realized that it was more of a chuckle than a sigh. "It depends. There are corrupted beings who hurt people, yes, but that doesn't make us too different from heroes, do you not think? There are many kinds of villains in this world. Society just groups us all into one, and claim that we are evil without understanding our ideals."

…We? Why did that sound… so wrong?

"What I explained to you are the basics of the world we reside in. Do you remember anything about your personal life?"

I bit my lip, eyebrows furrowing. "…No. I… I can't remember anything. Who am I…? I don't know you, and I…I don't even know who my family is. I definitely can't remember anything I was doing before I woke up here, but, I'm guessing I got into some kind of…"

The wound on my stomach throbbed once, as with the headache occupying my mind, and I winced. "Trouble?"

He nodded, the black mist swaying with his action. "Correct. You were carrying out a mission appointed to you when you got injured. A spear about forty centimeters in length managed to pierce through your abdomen, and in the process, the enemy had also managed to bang your head onto a wall numerous times, causing your head to bleed excessively as well. Luckily, the spear did not hurt your most vital areas, but I'm afraid the impact on your head caused some damage to your brain," Haze paused for a second before continuing, "You were barely breathing when we got to you."

I blinked, not expecting the unbelievable story that he had told me. Mission? Appointed? What the hell…?

"Haze. Who… What am I?" My voice was quivering uncontrollably.

His yellow eyes narrowed, and I felt a cold chill go down my spine.

"Your name is Zero. You are an assassin of the mafia; our family."

The harsh ring returned. My head was pounding and I could feel my blood rushing in my ears. It felt like a thousand monkeys were drumming festival music on two feet tall huge tympanis in my brain, and I wanted out.

It hurt. It hurt so, so badly.

My mind couldn't take it. It was just too much.

I blacked out.

 **XXX**

"So, her memory isn't gone?"

"Not completely. She could recall the basics of our world. I'm afraid that if I hadn't interfered, she would have remembered all on her own. The moment I mentioned us, the migraine was strong enough to make her faint."

"Great, just great. So what, the pill wasn't strong enough? It bleached her hair and robbed her eyes, but it wasn't enough to erase her memories?"

"If I may?"

"What?"

"You are very well aware that we do not have the needed ingredients to create a strong drug like that."

"Yeah, yeah. So what, we can't give up. Boss will have our heads."

"Do not erase, but simply seal. I'm sure that you are able to do that?"

"…That's not a bad idea. Any clue when she'll wake up?"

"She took approximately two weeks for the first time. I estimate that it would be around one week."

"Alright, I'll have it ready by then."

 **XXX**

Shouto ran throughout the streets of the city.

The wind was cold and unforgiving, blowing against his reddened cheeks as his heavy breaths came out in puffs of white. His nose scrunched up as his eyes darted around frantically; the ten year old boy didn't hold a single shred of concern for his rapidly declining energy. He didn't stop running for a good two hours; and he had been searching for almost a week now.

 _Where? Where is she?_ He thought desperately, biting his lip to the point of it bleeding.

Ochako had disappeared a week ago. She had gone to Bakugou Katsuki's house with Izuku, and got assaulted by mysterious men that moved around in a black van on their way back home. Shouto had felt his world flip upside down when he heard the news from Izuku's mother.

He had no idea what to do. His best friend was gone, and she was hurt and taken right in front of Izuku, the boy who had needed her even more than Shouto did. Shouto wasn't there when the incident happened ( _god damn he wished he was, at least he could have done something- the nightmares wouldn't go away now and he hated it and he was scared and he wanted her warmth-_ ) but he could understand how much pain Izuku was going through.

He had witnessed Ochako getting strangled by his own father after all. At least he could save her when his flames activated.

 _(A tiny voice reminded him- but Izuku is quirkless and she was stabbed and the blood, oh my god the blood everywhere, just imagining it-)_

He bit his lip even harsher, and tears threatened to spill out of eyes. He blinked them away and rubbed his sleeve against them roughly, squinting his eyes to look around again.

Izuku was just as hurt as him, but Shouto didn't have time. She may not be in the city anymore, she may be somewhere far, far away, but he couldn't give up. The police haven't found her yet, so he might still have a chance. He had to find her. He had to bring her back.

He knew that it was stupid, reckless, and it probably wouldn't work, but what choice did he have? He couldn't sit around and do nothing at home.

Izuku was holed up in his room, according to his mother. He refused to go out numerous times, and even refused to eat his mother's food for a few days. He ate a few bites when she put a tray of food in front of his room, but never a full meal. He was just in dark, lonely room, and Inko had no idea what to do. No matter what she did, he wouldn't respond to anything.

Inko told him that all she heard was sniffling and sobbing. Shouto had an inkling that the sniffling wasn't only coming from one person.

Shouto was supposed to support him, he was supposed to help him, but that was Ochako's job, it was always her who comforted people and saved them, and he… He couldn't help Izuku the way they both were now. Not when he himself had no idea what to tell him.

He needed to find Ochako.

He reached a small park and willed himself to stop. His legs were shaking and ready to give out. His entire body was shaking; he had no idea if it was because of fear or fatigue. He was wheezing and felt like hacking and coughing. Sweat poured down his forehead and spilled onto the grass as he bent over with hands on his knees.

Looking up, the half white haired boy spotted a wooden bench. He trotted over to it, stumbling along the way, and plopped onto the cold surface. He let out another shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

 _Ochako,_ he thought as he bit his lip, _where are you?_

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the huge shadow that flew past him until a few moments later.

A sharp shriek was suddenly heard from not too far away, and screams erupted all around.

Shouto's eyes snapped open and he immediately got to his feet, scanning his surroundings in the process. People were screaming and running, and that could only mean one thing.

A villain. Shouto spun around to find the source of the commotion, only to have his blood freeze as fear gripped him immediately.

A monster. That was the only word he could come up of as he gawked at the… _thing_. It was huge; almost the size of his abnormally huge father, and it looked so…mangled. The skin of the thing was a shade of blue so dark that it looked black, and there were limbs of all kinds sprouting out from its body. There was a leg that looked like an insect, one that looked like a crab's, and even one that looked like a human's. It had large, bat-like wings that erupted from its back, but one of the features about it that Shouto would never forget, was that its brain was revealed to the world.

The pink flesh was grotesque and raw. It was spurting out some weird, green liquid that trailed down the monster's head. It turned around to face the direction that Shouto was in, and he saw that it had two strikingly brown eyes that were implanted in the brain, and a maw that resembled a crow's beak.

He had never seen anything like it, and he couldn't move.

Shouto had felt fear so many times in his life that he couldn't even count them. His training lessons with his father, being taken away from the only family member that ever truly loved him, losing the only best friend he had in the world, but this memory was one that would haunt him forever.

And not only in the way had that he expected it to.

The monster roared once more, a shrill sound that made glass shake, and it charged towards him, sharp teeth bared and those _brown_ _eyes staring down at him-_

… _O…chako…?_

"GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY, SCRUB!"

A body slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him and ultimately pushing his motionless body to the side, narrowly avoiding the monster's vicious charge. He let out a breathy grunt as he rolled a few times on the grass with another person and ended up on his back.

He let out a hurt groan and opened his heterochromatic eyes to see glaring red orbs and a familiar face.

The name escaped his lips before he could think, "Ten…ko?"

"Who else, sissy?" He retorted, his eyes narrowed and sharp. He got off from his protective form around the smaller boy and stood up, pulling him up as well. Shouto stumbled a bit, but got to his feet quickly, and the two boys started running away from the scene.

"What are you doing here?!" Shouto shouted, hoping his voice was able to reach the grumpy teen over the screaming and chaos.

"None of your business brat!" Tenko growled back and jumped over some debris that was scattered all over the concrete. Shouto weaved through the crowd with the best of his abilities, and the two never stopped running, not even if they managed to get away from the street where the villain had appeared.

"What do you mean?!"Shouto furrowed his eyebrows as he panted. "And where are we going?!"

"Just shut up and run! The thing might still be on your heels!"

"What? Why?!" Shouto's voice cracked as his eyes widened in shock.

"The hell should I know?!" The teen growled as they turned around a corner, heading into another street of the city. "I was just minding my own fucking business when someone called the house and told me that you were in fucking danger!"

Shouto couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?!"

Sweat dripped down from the paler boy's forehead as his eyebrows were scrunched together in a furious scowl. "A woman! Called! Told me that something bad was going to happen to you! Should've fucking _WARNED_ me that it was a goddamn monster out of Cthulhu!"

He paused a bit in his speech before looking backwards, and his hand reached out to push Shouto towards the ground. " _LOOK OUT_!"

Another piercing screech resounded, and a shadow flew past the two boys once more and crashed into a building up ahead. The street erupted into chaos. People screamed and ran, and neither Shouto nor Tenko were amused. Letting a loud stream of curses, Tenko pulled Shouto back up and pushed him behind him, holding out his right hand in a guarded stance.

Shouto understood immediately. There was no point in running. It was too fast and no control. It seemed to be focused on him, but crashed into buildings and hurt people as it flew. Someone must have alerted a hero by now, they would be coming soon, but knowing how much Tenko despised heroes and thought of them as irresponsible, he must have thought that they had to take it down by themselves. Shouto wasn't so sure if the big, disgusting thing would let the teen touch it, but he had to buy some time.

They had to.

Shouto focused and ice burst out his shoe, coating the concrete ground and carving a path toward the debris in where the monster most likely was, and spiked up, creating an ice fortress around it. He let out a puff of tired breath.

He nodded as Tenko looked at him from the corner of his eye, and created another blast of ice that curved upwards to resemble a ramp just as the ash haired teen started running. Tenko slid on the ice as he ran to gain momentum, and jumped when he reached the end, curving an arc as he did.

It briefly reminded him of the time they rescued Ochako from the falling building.

Tenko reached out a hand, but he couldn't make it. The ice fortress around the monster broke open as it let out another piercing scream, and swung its arm, hitting the teen who was in mid-air. Shouto heard a yell of pain as he was flung across the street, and Shouto screamed his name.

Shouto looked at the monster once more with widened eyes. It was breaking free of the ice as if it was no big deal, and soon, he saw those brown eyes focus on him once more.

He sucked in a deep breath, listening to his raging heartbeat, before opening his eyes once more.

This time, it wasn't ice that appeared.

Fire.

It was not just any fire, his dark blue flames licked at his skin as it sprouted from his left side. The other half of his shirt burned away, revealing several burns on his shoulder and torso as he activated it. It wasn't a pretty sight he admitted, but the training he had went through to control his flames and body temperature was worth it. The flames still hurt a bit, he could feel his skin tingling, but it wasn't enough to burn him anymore.

He pushed a leg back and took a stance just as the thing roared once more and charged at him.

He couldn't react instantly; he felt the wind being knocked out of him as its fist punched him across the street, in the opposite direction of Tenko. He felt his flames react to his pain, flaring up instantly in a hot blaze. He let out a horrified gasp as he felt some of his ribs break, but he bit his lip and tried to hold on as he tumbled across the concrete. Another roar was heard, but this time, it sounded more painful than intimidating. Putting a hand to his chest, he shakily looked up to see the monster groaning as it held one of its hands.

The skin was burned right off. Just coming into contact with his body coated in flames had caused it to get hurt. The burnt arm twitched violently, and then all of a sudden, it suddenly pealed itself away from the body and fell onto the ground with a splat, green liquid bursting out of the hole that was suddenly formed. The monster roared with pain once more and Shouto felt like puking.

At least he didn't get hurt for nothing, he thought dully. Or crash into a building. Or hurt a normal person in the process. Another sharp pain ran through his chest, and he grounded out a pained whine as his eyes closed reflexively. He felt his flames pulse widely and he tried to take steady breaths to calm down, even if he felt like his chest was being split open every time.

He opened his eyes to another scream, and saw that it was coming towards him once more. He hacked out a small cough and tried desperately to get to his feet, managing it barely. He scanned the area briefly and was relieved to find no more civilians in range. He held out his left arm, grabbing it with his right to steady it, and willed his flames to burst forward.

Blue fire raged to life as it erupted from his palm. He painfully grimaced as he felt the searing, hot element blast. The dark tinted flames covered the monster's body, a horrified, pained shriek being emitted from it as soon as they came in contact.

He felt his body slump as he couldn't hold the attack anymore. A weak puff of breath came out of his lips as the blue flames disappeared, and he collapsed onto the ground. Sweating, panting and feeling pain all over his body, Shouto knew that if the attack didn't manage to kill whatever that thing was, he was finished.

When he heard a guttering groan in front of him, he thought that he was done for.

Then, a pat and a raspy voice was heard, "Go to hell."

Another defeaning scream, and it was gone.

A pair of feet shuffled near him, and he knew that it was Tenko.

"Oi, carcass. You still alive?"

He croaked out something that resembled a dying rat.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Sirens wailed as the sounds of people got closer. Shouto felt his conscious float in and out even as he tried his best to stay awake. He could hear the faint mutters of Tenko and couple of other people as someone hauled him up and onto a stretcher.

The ambulance doors closed as Tenko cursed colorfully on the seat next to him, and Shouto could only remember the vivid brown eyes that the monster had.

 **XXX**

Tenko came out of the police station with his right shoulder in a sling, a left hand supporting the icing pad that was gently pushed to his bruised ribs and skin, and a scowl that could rival a very, very angry wildcat.

 _Stupid monster, stupid villains, stupid police officers, stupid heroes._ He let out a string of curses and mumbles as he walked towards the parking lot where his father and mother were. They were worried as hell when they found out what had happened to him and Shouto, and they rushed to the hospital the moment that they got the call from the police, dropping their jobs even though they were in the middle of working.

Tenko felt horrible. Sure, he managed to live through a life threatening attack, saved his annoying as fuck little sister's best friend _(She fucking owned him for the sucky as hell week)_ , but nothing was solved and there were only more mysteries.

One of the mysteries was the unknown caller that had informed Tenko of Shouto's danger. He had no clue of the woman's identity, nor how did she know about the little half and half brat.

Another mystery that he had chasing for at least six days was the disappearance of the youngest Uraraka. What the hell happened to her, where the fuck is she, is she even still alive or safe? The questions plagued his mind every day every since he heard what happened to her, and he couldn't even get a wink of sleep, resulting in his grumpier than normal attitude.

He saw his parents waiting at the parking lot, along with Bakugou Mitsuki. Why the blonde woman was here, he wasn't so sure until he saw her car and deduced that she must have driven them here because his family didn't own a car.

"Hey mom, dad." He greeted with his head down, his bags covering his sleep deprived eyes. Hana went over to him and put a hand on his cheek, lifting it up slightly so that she could see his red eyes.

"Oh my…The bruises look horrible! And your arm?" Worry and concern was in plain sight and Tenko felt guilty all of a sudden.

"Not as bad as it looks."

It was true. The doctor told him that his shoulder wasn't too badly busted, just a little dislocated so he put it back to its original place and put it in a sling. His ribs were bruised and there were scrapes all over his body, but he was a lot better than Shouto who had burns and cracked ribs. He didn't have to be admitted into the hospital, so he was grateful for that. The police immediately asked for him to be questioned though, so that turned his mood sour once again.

"Tenko." A warm arm wrapped around his other shoulder and he felt his body being pushed into a soft hug. Yuji always knew how to give hugs, even to an injured person; that small thought flittered through the teen's mind. "We're glad that you're safe. We couldn't take it if you..."

His voice cracked at the end, and he knew how much he truly worried them. It was a strange thing being cared for like this; he still had his moments of disbelief of how blessed he was to have them. He gripped Yuji's arm softly and willed his voice not to crack as he spoke, "Sorry."

Mitsuki didn't say anything and drove the three of them to the hospital where Shouto was in. He was grateful for the fact that she helped his parents get to him, so he bowed his head in gratitude when they got off. She offered a tired smile and a ruffle.

"Take care of them, kid." She said to him in a soft voice and a small grin before leaving. The way she said it and the way she looked told Tenko that the Bakugou household had their own problems after Ochako's disappearance.

But first things first.

"Tenko? Aren't you going to see Shouto?"

"Just a sec dad. I need to make a phone call, so you can go ahead without me."

"Alright, don't be too late." Yuji gave him another soft hug and Hana pecked him on the cheek, both of them telling him to not strain himself. He felt his cheeks warm as he pursed his lips in embarrassment.

Why was the damn Uraraka family so affectionate?

He mumbled under his breath as he advanced towards the public phones and shuffled around his pocket before pulling a piece of paper. On the paper was the number that showed on the display of their house phone, the number of the mystery woman.

He dialed it.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring_

 _Click._

" _Ey' chuckies cheese and pizza 'ere, what can I-"_

He slammed the phone back down and nearly disintegrated the whole thing in a fit of rage.

Fuck.

 **XXX**

My name…is Zero.

I am an assassin of the yakuza family called 'Shie Hassaikai.'

"Keep going." Boss instructed me, his bloodshot eyes watching me carefully. I squirmed a little on my position on the bed, twirling my white strands of hair around my finger.

"I…I'm ten years old. I used to be your number own prodigy. My father…he is your boss? He…wants to unite the world. He wants to become a ruler, and I… wanted to be by his side. I was merciless and cruel, I killed and hurt and I didn't care." I repeated the words he had told me countless times.

His hand reached out and patted my hair. The headache increased, the ring in my ears never fading.

"Good girl." His voice was soft and velvety, but it sounded cold somehow. "Good little killer."

I closed my eyes and breathed.

 **XXX**

 _The black arm reached out for him, choking him as brown eyes stared back at him. The mouth of the monster opened and a shrill shriek pounded in his ears. He gasped and heaved for air, his arms flailing and legs kicking, trying to activate his quirk but to no avail._

" _Why…?" It gasped out, the brown eyes staring him down. "Why did you leave me…Shouto?"_

" _I didn't." He choked out, tears clouding his vision as he tried and tried and tried to get away. "I didn't."_

" _You did." It sounded like it was crying, and the head morphed grotesquely, and all of a sudden, he was looking at a mangled version of his best friend. Her brown eyes were vivid, but her skin was twisting and curling, the black skin mangled and burnt, as her mouth full of sharp teeth opened and closed. He shut his eyes closed tightly, but he could still see the horrible, terrifying vision of her through his eyelids._

" _You couldn't protect me."_

 _He cried, the tears falling down his face._

" _No, no, no, please I didn't- Ochako, Ochako-"_

He woke up.

Fuyumi was at his side, shaking his shoulder frantically. "Shouto? Shouto?!"

He heaved and panted, sweat forming on his neck and back. His eyes were opened wide with fear and horror, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. His chest was going up and down frantically.

"Shouto, Shouto, look at me." Fuyumi pulled his face to the direction of hers, and Shouto stared blankly at her onyx eyes. "It was a dream. Just a dream. It's okay."

He wanted to scream and shout and tell her that it wasn't.

He swallowed and tried to push the images of the monster out of his head and nodded, "Okay."

Fuyumi sent him a shaky smile and opened the car door, pulling him out as her hand held his quivering one. "Come on, we need to pick them up."

Shouto nodded once more, his bangs covering his eyes.

It had been two weeks ago ever since the news of Ochako's death had arrived at his doorstep. Apparently, one of the police officers retrieved the arm that he had burnt off the monster and did a DNA scan on it. There were countless of DNA combined together in that one, small limb, and it turned out that one of it had matched with Uraraka Ochako.

The other DNAs that were in the arm matched with people who were kidnapped from years ago to just last week, and many of them were confirmed to be dead. There was a very high chance that Ochako got involved in a freaky experiment of some sorts, and didn't make it. The police also mentioned that they found a horribly burnt up corpse of a small girl about the age of ten in an abandoned warehouse far from the city, and Shouto couldn't hear any more of it.

Even after he got discharged from the hospital, he couldn't do anything. There was a huge, hollow hole in his chest no matter what he did. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't train no matter how much his father pressured him to. He just couldn't care about anything anymore. It was as if only his still healing and aching body reminded him that he wasn't dead.

This was actually the first time he had been out in a while, and it was because he was invited to Ochako's funeral. It wasn't really a proper one though; they didn't have the money to. So her parents called her closest friends and asked them to see her tombstone and offer their respects. There was no ceremony or fancy food or anything, just a simple visit from her most loved ones. Her funeral was one thing that he never wanted to be present for, but the pleading of both Hana and Yuji won him over. They told him that she would want to see her best friend no matter what, even if it wasn't in the best of situations. He agreed. He knew her better than anyone after all.

Inko called their house next. Fuyumi conversed with her as he was holed up in his room, and came in later on with a gentle knock, telling him that they were going to pick them up in their grandmother's car on their way to the funeral.

 _Izuku_ , he thought to himself in his head as he and his sister went up in the elevator to their apartment. He hadn't talked to the boy in at least three weeks now. Would he even want to talk to him? What if he was mad at him for not visiting and helping him in his time of need?

A small part of him whispered that Izuku would never do that, but Shouto was aware that he had been a terrible friend.

When he rang the doorbell, Inko and Izuku stood at the entrance. The older woman was wearing a simple black dress with a black purse, a thin and tired smile on her face to greet them. Fuyumi smiled back, but Shouto only stared at the boy who just looked at him the same way.

Izuku's hair was as unruly as ever, and he was in a black tuxedo. There wasn't a protocol for clothes, but Shouto was wearing the same thing. His skin was pale and there were heavy bags under his eyes. Izuku looked so sleep deprived and horribly depressed, and Shouto felt like he was looking at a mirror.

His voice was soft and faint, "Hey."

Izuku's tone was heavy, but not angry, "Hi."

They didn't talk for the entire ride to the graveyard, but Izuku had leaned on Shouto on the way, his head resting. That action nearly caused the taller boy to cry, but he held it in and supported the small head on his shoulder.

When they arrived, it was the perfect picture of depression. The Uraraka family looked no better than the Shouto or Izuku. Hana had tear stains on her face, Yuji's eyes were still horribly red, and Tenko looked like he was a walking corpse. To his surprise, the Bakugou family minus the child was there as well. He didn't expect them to be honest, but he was glad that Bakugou Katsuki wasn't there. There was no telling what would happen if he and Izuku encountered each other, especially at a fragile time like this.

They stood in front of her grave, putting their hands together with their eyes closed in a prayer, and Shouto wished that this was all a dream.

 **XXX**

"Haze?"

The misty man looked down at me as he placed my medications on the table beside me. "Yes?"

I bit my lip, averting my eyes. "...How long has it been since I woke up? And why haven't I met anyone besides you and boss?"

"A month." He answered smoothly, his yellow eyes narrowing. "We decided that you should properly heal first before being re-introduced to the family. Why?"

"Just, you know. Curious."

"I should warn you that being too curious usually end in disaster."

I felt my lips curl up in a small smile. "Hehe. Maybe. Luckily I'm not a cat than. I'm more like a…deranged version of a Barbie doll."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." I bit my lip before continuing, "Sometimes I feel like everything is wrong. Like, boss has nothing been nice to me, but the way he speaks and the way he looks at me… He looks at me like I'm sort of, a toy, per say." I hastily rubbed my neck in doubt and nervousness, "I don't know. I just, can't really believe that I was the person he said I was."

Haze handed me a cup of cold water and three pills as he dragged up a small stool and sat beside me. "Perhaps. Your memory is still quite unclear after all, it is normal that you feel that way. But may I?"

I swallowed the medicine along with the water, and felt a small tingle in the back of my head. "Yeah?"

"You are you. You are the one who decides what to do. Do you wish to return to your normal self, the one that was remembered and loved, or become another version of yourself, one that you are satisfied with? Regardless, it is hard to get out of a business like ours, especially since that your father is one of the strongest people in the underworld."

Haze calmly talked to me as I listened, my eyes darkening. "Yeah. I know. I guess…I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Decide what you wish to do, Zero." Haze answered simply, reaching out towards me and taking off the black rimmed glasses on my nose. The world around me blurred instantly.

"Go to bed. It is already quite late."

"I already am in bed."

"Goodnight, Zero."

 _Click._

* * *

 **So. How did you guys like it? Was it too depressing? Shit.**

 **I'm really, really sorry that I am so late. I had a rough month because of school and studying and real life shit, and I had a hard time going up to my computer. This year is really important for my future, and I'm sad to announce that updates may take longer than usual. I'm really, really sorry, but I hope that you guys will understand and still love my story, because I have no intention of stopping this. I will continue it, the journey is not even close to being over, and the badass tales of an awesome gal really need to be told.**

 **So. Overhaul's crazy. Yeah, we all knew that. They have different names now. I wonder why.**

 **Ochako isn't dead. In name, yes, but not really. She's still alive, just not really Ochako anymore, but hey, that's the upcoming fun. Now that she's in the underground, a lot of shit and stuff will go down, I'm telling you. Look forward to the next because I have a feeling everyone's favorite villain is going to appear. Like in the anime. Third season! YASSS!**

 **Thank you all my reviewers, favoriters and followers! I love you all! To the upcoming 200** **th** **reviewer, as the same as the 100** **th** **, I will send you hugs and a digital cookie to invite you over to the dark side.**

 **See you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12, 'Luna' ~**


	17. Chapter 16: Wishes of six

**Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA).**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 16: Wishes of six**

Dreams were supposed to come true, he used to convince himself. Maybe it was because of all the hero movies he had watched when he was little, but he always believed that one day, he would be the hero that everybody loved and wanted.

When he received his first beating from a bully that wasn't Bakugou, he had thought to himself, _'There's always some kind of wall between the hero and his goals. This is mine.'_

Needless to say, that thought didn't last too long. The world was harsh, pounding down on him like a unscheduled rainstorm, but when he met Ochako, he had thought that someone up there, whoever they were, finally decided to take mercy on him.

He wanted to tear them to shreds now.

He couldn't forget. He couldn't forget the blood, the shocked expression on her face, the fact that she had slipped so easily away from his hands, and he saw that instant happen every night when he closed his eyes.

He was so tired of everything going wrong. There were even times where he wished that he could disappear from everything, but he couldn't. He understood the pain of being the one left behind now, and he could never subject this pain to his mother, or Shouto, who had lost as much as he did.

Midoriya Izuku was just a boy with a shaky dream of becoming the best hero, but he hopelessly wished that he was more.

 **XXX**

When morning came, Shouto wasn't thrilled at all. It was just another bleak day with nothing to look forward to. Why did he have to wake up when there was nothing worthwhile?

The alarm next to his futon was annoying though, so he managed to crawl over to it and push the button to stop it. The winter air was cold and nearly biting, but to him, it wasn't bothersome at all. He crawled back onto the futon, but instead of sleeping, he grabbed the photo frame on the other side of it and proceeded to look at it.

A knock on his door alerted him not long after.

"Shouto?" The shoji door slid open slowly as his sister peeked into his room. "How are you…?"

He wasn't sure of how to respond, so he just averted his gaze from her peering eyes and nodded.

He heard a sigh from her. "Shouto, you can't just…do this to yourself forever."

"What do you mean?" His words snapped out harsher than he expected. He bit his lip and narrowed his eyes, looking down at the picture in his hands. It was the photo they took on the day they went to the gala. Ochako was in his mother's pretty white dress with a blinding smile, Izuku was looking at her with red tinted cheeks, and he could see the happiness reflected in his own half scarred face as he smiled gently at her.

The Shouto in the picture looked so happy, at peace with the two of them, and he never felt more envious. The grip on the picture tightened slightly as his hands trembled.

A sigh from Fuyumi took his attention once more. "Shouto. I have something to tell you."

He averted his gaze to his sister as she entered the room. Her onyx eyes fluttered around for a brief moment before coming back to his, and Shouto realized that she looked…tired. She knelt down and got into a seiza position on the tatami next to his futon, and Shouto's grip on the photo frame tightened.

"Why don't you visit her grave and talk to her?"

Shouto blinked. Fuyumi continued, "You didn't get to speak with her on the day she was…kidnapped. Maybe you have a lot of things you wanted to tell her without realizing? I know that losing someone is hard-"

"What do you know?" Shouto interrupted, his eyebrows furrowed as a small scowl started to take over his face. He knew that it was wrong of him to snap at her, that she was only trying to help, but those words meant nothing to the person he was right now.

Fuyumi stopped in mid-sentence, biting her lip before reaching out towards him, putting a hand on his head. Shouto tensed when he felt it shaking, and realized that it wasn't only her that was.

"I know," Her voice sounded weak and tired, nothing like the one she was using before. "Believe me, I _know_."

She was…in pain too. From what, he wouldn't know. Fuyumi wasn't as close to Ochako as he was, yet she grieved for her as well. Or was it someone else? Someone that Shouto never knew about, someone that was important to her. He wouldn't know. They didn't, couldn't talk as much anymore ever since his training started, he thought back faintly.

His bottom lip trembled as he found that his voice could no longer work, so he resorted to scooting closer to her and wrapping his arms around her instead. She let out another shaky sigh and returned the gesture, her naturally low body temperature soothing him. He felt the embers of anger and grief fade away slightly, and the back of her shirt bunched in his hands.

Later that day, when noon came and snow was still falling, he decided to take her advice. He refused for her to come along and got permission from his grandmother. They were both worried for him, the grave being quite a walk away, but Shouto decided that he needed that extra time to think. He was already ten, he didn't want anybody tagging along and distracting him from his thoughts.

 _(He didn't notice two shadows following him as his feet trudged in the snow.)_

When he arrived, the place was as cold and bleak as ever, but then again, so were most graveyards. He looked around for the one with her name and when he spotted it, he felt his mouth dry up. His throat clenched with every step he took to get closer. When it was right in front with her name practically glaring at him, he reached out a hand, his fingers brushing against the stone ever so gently, and shakily opened his mouth,

"Hey…Ochako…"

The words were stuck in his throat. He tried a few times to clear it, but his voice came out raspy and faint no matter what. Swallowing, his eyes suddenly stinging, he took another deep breath of air before continuing,

"I…I…I don't really know…what to say. But, I guess," His breath came out in white puffs. "I guess I can start on the day you disappeared. Shitty Endeavor was being as…well, shitty as usual…And-"

And on it went.

 **XXX**

It was a day in winter, when he was still seeing dreams of her every day. It was that day when the fish his mother cooked was usually delicious, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that it seemed tasteless to him.

"Izuku? Are you feeling better?" His mother gazed into his eyes with soft kindness, and he averted his eyes to the ground. His rice bowl was barely even touched.

"I…don't know."

Five weeks. It had been a month and a week after her death. It took him three weeks to get out of his room and hold a semi-proper conversation with his mother and Shouto. The time he spent in his room was like an eternity to him, all he could remember doing was crying and sleeping, and occasionally eating. He came out every so often, but he barely held eye contact with anyone for more than three seconds.

He couldn't keep doing that, he knew. His mother was always so worried about him, she tried to hold casual conversations with him even beyond the door, and she never pressured him to talk. She waited patiently with those worry stricken eyes, and he felt guilty for being the cause of it.

"Mom, I'm going to…read something in my room." He said softly and put his chopsticks down, getting off of the dining chair. His mother pursed her lips for a second before standing up, and she walked over to him.

He bit his lip lightly when she bent down to his height, her green eyes boring into his. He felt himself gulping as he looked at her.

"Izuku." Her voice was gentle and warm. "Please listen to me."

He managed a small croak.

"I know that you are grief stricken," She started quietly, her voice quivering as well, "And if I was in your position, I would be too. I wouldn't be sane for a long, long time, but I can't stand seeing you like this. You barely eat anymore. You don't talk to me. You coop up in your room, and I feel horrible every time I can hear you sobbing. I love you too much to let you suffer on your own."

"So, please," She reached out and grabbed his small, shaking hands in her trembling ones, and tears appeared in her eyes. "Please, talk to me."

He broke down that day, crying, sobbing louder than he ever did. He told her that he felt like everything was his fault. He felt like someone ripped his heart out from his chest and replaced it with a cold metal ball. The world seemed gray, cold, and lifeless. He told her that there was never a moment more than that time when she was kidnapped that he wished that he had power to defeat the bad guys.

His mother listened. She didn't interrupt him, she just listened. She knew that he needed to spill out all his sorrow and grief, and that words from an outsider would only hurt him even more. She kept her arms tight around him that day, and when he cried himself to sleep, they both ended up waking up on the couch of their living room.

To be honest, that night he spent with his mother on the couch was probably the only night he had managed to sleep peacefully ever since.

The door to their apartment was knocked on the next day, and Izuku opened it to see Shouto who looked worse for wear. His normally straight hair was ruffled and all over the place, and his skin was pale with the bags under his eyes showing.

"Hey."

Izuku tried to make a smile. "Hey."

Shouto simply held up a bag of salty popcorn and a DVD that said 'Karate Boys'. Izuku glanced at the calendar on the wall and realized that it was a Sunday.

The three of them used to just laze around on his couch, holding hands, eating popcorn from Seven-eleven and watching second rate Karate movies rented from Tsutaya, and when Izuku understood what the taller boy was trying to do, he found that he appreciated the gesture more than he thought he would have.

His vision got a little misty, but he felt his lips twitch up into a more genuine smile this time, "Come on in."

Shouto nodded as he entered the house, taking off his shoes while Izuku locked the door. The two of them entered the living room where Inko was wiping the coffee table, and her eyes lit up when she saw Shouto. She left a kiss on both of the boys' cheek and told them to relax on the couch as she got ready their snacks and drinks.

Shouto plopped onto the soft yellow couch and Izuku put in the DVD, following the quiet boy's actions soon after. In a few moments, Inko returned with a tray with two cups and a bowl of popcorn, kissed them once more on the forehead, and left the living room to clean another room.

Izuku knew that she was trying to give the two of them space, and once again, he felt immensely grateful for his caring mother.

When the two main characters on the screen started to break out in a 'dance-slash-fight', Shouto finally spoke up.

"How are you?"

Izuku paused, chewing the salty popcorn in his mouth. "…Not too good. How about you?"

"Me neither," Shouto took a sip of orange juice. He saw the taller boy pause for a minute before continuing. "I visited her grave yesterday."

Izuku's grip on the couch tightened slightly. "Really…?"

"Yeah," Shouto continued, looking at the television screen. "My sister told me to visit her. Said that maybe I had some things to tell her."

"What did you talk about?" He inquired softly, not taking his eyes off the television either.

"Stuff, I guess…? I didn't know what to say at the start, but then once I started talking about the things we did, the memories we shared, the words wouldn't stop…coming out. There wasn't a reply or anything, of course, but I felt a little better." Izuku saw him shift a little at the corner of his vision.

"Oh." Izuku only managed a small sound of acknowledgement, not really sure of what to say.

"Then, I realized," Shouto took a deep breath, and turned to face him. Izuku jolted a bit, startled by the sudden action, and instinctively turned his body to face him.

Shouto lifted his legs onto the couch, and arranged his position into a seiza, and bowed deeply. Izuku was flabbergasted.

"S-Shouto-k-kun?"

"I'm sorry," He apologized, sincerity and guilt coating his words, "I didn't talk to you for a long time. I should…I should have checked in to see if you were okay at least."

Izuku blinked once, but then a heavy feeling settled in his chest. "It's not your fault," He said quietly, his eyes staring at the white and red hair. "You…Both of us are going through a hard time. It's only natural that-"

"That I ignored you? Left you when you were the one who probably felt the most at fault?"

"It was." His voice cracked. "I was too weak. I could've- I could've-"

Shouto lifted his head up, and his blue and gray eyes looked deeply in his green ones. "It's not your fault. It never was. I'm the one that should have protected the both of you."

"You weren't even there." Izuku's voice was quivering, and he clenched his fist to try and stop it from shaking, his nails digging into his skin.

"That's my point. I should have disobeyed my father and went with you anyway. I don't know Bakugou the way you do, but I should have went and gave you moral support like she did. Then… then maybe-"

"It's not your fault either!" He raised his voice for the first time in weeks, and Izuku wasn't surprised to find that his voice was choked and that tears were clouding his vision. "It's- It's not!"

"But it's not yours either," Shouto continued, his eyebrows furrowed as his own voice quivered. "Neither of us expected anything like that."

"Then…" Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "Then maybe it's neither of our faults."

Maybe the one at fault was the bad guys that took her away from her home. Not Izuku's, nor Shouto's.

Shouto's fist clenched even tighter on his thigh. "…Maybe."

There was a faint smack and a whoop that erupted from the TV and Shouto went back to his semi-relaxed position on the couch. A bit of time passed between them. Izuku hesitated for a second, but later outstretched his hand to gently come into contact with the taller boy's.

Shouto didn't say anything, but when his fingers curled around Izuku's in a small clasp, Izuku felt as if the world surrounding him thawed, even if it was just a little bit.

 **XXX**

I was in a confined room with walls that were all painted white. I was wearing a simple white shirt and tattered black pants, my bare feet touching the cold surface of the floor. The black glasses on my nose started slipping down, so I pushed them up again, frowning softly as I looked around.

There was nothing occupying the room except me. There was no furniture, decorations or anything of the sort. It was just a simple, white room with only a door as an entrance or exit.

The door to the room opened, and Boss came walking in. My figure tensed, and I took a small breath to calm my nerves down. I approached him, keeping a respectful distance as I looked up at the taller man.

"Boss? You wanted to see me?" I kept my voice from shaking slightly, and didn't avert my gaze from his bloodshot eyes. He crouched down to my height, his long, sharp mask making his face seem more intimidating, especially at a close distance.

"Zero. I have been told that your condition has returned to a near perfect state. How do you feel?"

"My memory is still very hazy, sir, but my body is completely fine," I recalled the things that Haze had told me before sending me here. "The wound on my stomach has recovered, and I no longer feel any kind of ache or pain in my body. I'm sorry that it took so long."

"Five weeks is hardly a long time concerning your well-being," His voice was as smooth as glass, but the goose bumps on my skin didn't fade. "I am relieved that you feel well. Now, do you have any idea why I called you here today?"

I blinked. "No, sir. I do not."

Boss let out a small hum. "Didn't Haze brief you?"

I shook my head. "No, sir. He only informed me to come to this room."

"Very well." Boss stood up to his full height, looking down on me. "You will be starting your rehabilitation."

"My…what?" I cocked my head to the side, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Zero," He started out smoothly, his voice sending chills down my spine. "You have been out of action for a long time. Your body right now is physically weak, and you are unable to carry out most of the missions that you were supposed to. I talked with your father; he wants me to train you, to recreate your body into a better form than it ever was."

Father. I bit my lip softly. Both Haze and Boss told me stories of him, but I have never actually met him in person. Wasn't he supposed to be the first one to see me? Wasn't that what…family was supposed to do?

When I voiced out my concerns, Boss just let out a small chuckle.

"He has his reasons. Right now, his condition is not well enough for you to meet him, and he did not want to scare you."

"Why? Is he hurt?"

"Badly. A great fight left him in a weakened state, and I'm afraid that you will be afraid of his…ghastly appearance if you meet him now." Boss's eyes narrowed in what seemed to be amusement. "He is recovering slowly however, and I will bring you to him when the time is right. In the meantime, I shall monitor your training, and Haze will continue being your caretaker. Now, what do you remember of your quirk?"

I wanted to prod more into the situation, but it didn't seem like I would get much information right now. So I swallowed my words and opened the mouth, giving Boss the answer he wanted instead,

"Zero Gravity. I can nullify the gravity on a certain item, but can also manipulate the mass of it. There is a certain limit to the weight I can nullify, and I cannot manipulate the mass of an item fluidly yet. The best that I can apparently do is…" I racked my brain to recall. "Three tons?"

Maybe it isn't really called Zero Gravity if I can control mass too, but it does sound cooler that way, a small thought wormed into my mind as I spoke, and I willed myself not to blurt it out by accident.

"Good, you seem to remember the basics of your quirk, at least." Boss nodded. "Now, what we will do here is quite simple. We will increase your physical capabilities and increase the weight limit of your quirk. You will not question anything I say and follow my instructions to the end. Do you understand?"

Another thought wormed into my brain, and it came out before I could stop it. "And…what happens if I don't, sir?"

A strange emotion flickered into his golden eyes, and I felt the danger before I could comprehend it.

"Hmm? Is the little killer curious?"

"I…"

"I suppose it would be easier to show you so that you may never make the mistake of disobeying me then. Come here, Zero."

My feet stayed rooted to the ground.

"It seems like you're disobeying me already. Well, I guess I have to educate you better then, don't I?"

His hand reached out towards me, and all my instincts seem to scream 'danger, run away, get away!'

My mouth was only half open when the tips of his finger touched my arm, and-

Blood flew into the air.

My arm exploded and it was everywhere. The white floor was tainted with red. The experience was hard to explain. The pain was immense. It felt as if my arm was torn from my body, from cell to cell, and for the seconds that my arm was gone, all I could do was scream.

Then, as if waking up from a bad dream, my arm came back to me, exactly the same as before.

I gasped, using my other hand to grip it and collapsed, panting heavily as my glasses fell onto the bloody floor. My body was shaking horribly, and I couldn't forget the pain and memory of what had happened just a few seconds ago. The black shoe in front of me moved, and golden eyes entered my vision once more.

"You see? This is what will happen if you disobey me again," His voice was calm and smooth as ever, but I could hear the poison and darkness that I only had an inkling of before. "It hurt, didn't it? I never told you my quirk for this sole reason. Now, where is my answer?"

Answer, answer, before you get hurt again, another voice in me pressured.

"Yes." I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Good." There was almost something akin to a satisfied purr.

 **XXX**

* * *

There was this place again.

The same long, tedious path, the same swaying trees, but he noticed something was wrong almost immediately. The sky was no longer blue; it was a bleak gray, as if somebody was covering the sky with rain clouds. The wind was harsher, more urgent, and he could feel someone telling him, pushing him to move forward.

He closed his fingers into a tight fist and did as the voice said.

He walked. As he moved forward, he started to hear faint screaming. He had no idea where it was coming from, but as the path went on, the louder those screams became. The trees around him started wilting, dying, and the once beautiful view in front of him faded into a horrid wasteland.

Where was this place? He wanted to scream. Why was he here?

"Help…" He heard sobbing, crying, pleading. "Someone…help me…"

He saw the road come to an end and expected a bright flash of light.

Instead, the end of the path suddenly exploded into darkness, covering him in the murky black. He felt his throat close up, his eyes starting to water, and he hissed in conflict and confusion.

The muddy darkness didn't clear, but it soon became clear enough to see a lone figure blurrily. It seemed like a person. They were all alone in what seemed to be a white room, but when he looked closer, he could see blood dripping from that person's body. He tried to look around more, but all he could see was a few traces of the red liquid splattered around, and the person curled up into a ball.

They were crying, he realized. The sounds that he heard before entering this weird vision, it was coming from this strange person.

They had white hair and pale skin, wearing nothing but a blood stained shirt and pants. He tried to get closer, to listen better, but his feet wouldn't move. It was as if he was rooted to the ground, and whoever that was showing him this only meant for him to watch.

"It hurts…it hurts… why does it hurt…?" They cried, their wails hoarse and weak. "I don't…want…pain, no more…please…"

Who are you? He thought desperately. Why are you here? Are you the person I've been seeing dreams of?

Then that person lifted their head, and he could see tear stains on faded pink cheeks. He saw milky brown, unfocused, broken eyes and everything clicked in his mind as the horror and reality caught up to him.

It was her.

* * *

 **XXX**

Katsuki woke up in a cold sweat.

His mind was aching, his body was trembling, and his breathing was harsh and ragged. He spared a glance at the clock next to him, and the numbers 2:30 registered in his mind faintly.

What was that? What did he see? He brought up his trembling hand to his forehead, pressing it against it forcefully.

Why…? It couldn't be, no, it couldn't fucking be-

Why her? Why now? Why could he remember now? He recalled all the times he woke up in the dead of the night, shivering, trembling with no memory of whatever dream he had been seeing. The thought plagued him, but he chose to bury it in the depths of his mind, until now.

What was so special about this dream? What was so special about her?

She was just a weakling, someone unimportant, he tried to tell himself. She was nothing to you, it didn't matter that she was killed, taken away, whatever the fuck happened to her was none of his business-

His fists clenched automatically as the faint memory of that day entered his mind, and he stopped himself almost barely before his palms sparked with energy.

He couldn't sleep. Not after what he saw, dreamt of-whatever. He glanced at the clock again. 2:45, the green neon light glowed at him. The day was still very much night.

He exhaled and got out of bed. It was cold. He hated the cold. Nothing went right when it was cold. He wished Japan would turn into a tropical island.

He rolled up his long pajama sleeves, exposing his lower arms to the low temperature. He gritted his teeth at the sensation, but told himself to bear with it. He got down to the floor and put his hands under him.

Thirty-Fifty, maybe even a hundred if he felt like it. Just until he felt like he could go to sleep again. Exercising was better than nothing, it helped train his body, and it made him take a step closer to his goal of becoming number one.

Focus. Becoming number one is the only thing you have to think about, he reasoned. Fucking Deku or that damn round face could go to hell. He wasn't going to let a stupid memory tie him down. Being a kid or whatever didn't matter.

He breathed, and his arms pushed off the floor.

He ignored the fact that he had been telling himself that for the five weeks, and yet, the doubt, guilt and anger never seemed to fade.

 **XXX**

Ten weeks and five days. It had been ten weeks, five days, two hours, six minutes, fifty eight seconds since I woke up, which meant at least five weeks had passed ever since Boss decided to train me.

Eight times. Eight times he decided to use his quirk on me. Each time he left a small reminder, a scar that was never going to fade. I had one on my neck, three on my arms, one on my stomach, one on the back, and two on my legs. They ranged from being small and white, to long and red.

As the training went on, I learned to seal my emotions well enough. There was a part of me that told me to never really throw away my emotions, that I should still be able to smile and get angry when the situation commanded, but showing that in the face of the enemy was a weakness. A weakness that I needed to overcome. A weakness unfitting of an assassin, apparently.

My quirk and my supposed occupation was a good fit, Haze had told me. I could get rid of my gravity and sneak around easier, and with my mass manipulation, I could kill a man with a sheet of paper if I wanted to. Then again, I haven't really killed anyone yet, so I wasn't really a true assassin yet…I think.

I felt myself getting blanker as the days passed. I didn't cry whenever my arm got twisted, I stopped yelping every time a knife stabbed me, and I stopped feeling a sense of pity whenever I saw someone get robbed on the streets.

The streets. Boss never really let me out often. He told me there was no need to, yet he told Haze to pound the map of the area we lived in into my mind. He told me that it was essential if I were to ever hide or run away from our enemies. My job was just to kill, not to engage in fist fights and such.

My training mostly consisted of training my speed and accuracy, and a few spars without quirks were also carried out. Every training session was either hell, or lighter hell, because I always felt like puking enough to flood the entire building. Boss made me run laps, dodge deadly weapons, use my quirk on another entirely unoccupied building somewhere, he even sicked some kind of blackish, brainish monster on me a few times. He told me that it was an experiment, a Noumu or something, and I could have sworn that I had heard the name somewhere before, but every time I tried to remember something from my past, a strikingly painful ring resounded in my head. It seemed like my mind was refusing my attempts to get it back to normal.

I also met the other members of the 'family'. There was a weird looking guy with arrows for hair, and a tall, burly looking man with spiky hair. The arrowhair called himself 'Kronos', while the other man told me to call him 'Mime'. While it would be nice to say that I interacted with them every day, I barely saw them. Kronos was always locked away in a room that was apparently for experiments, and Mime was off somewhere… I had no idea, and even though they were my 'family', I couldn't bring myself to care. There was also another group of the family called the 'Teppodama Hassaishu', but as with the case with Kronos and Mime, I didn't see them much, and I didn't care.

A lot of things never really mattered to me anymore, as strange as that were. I mostly talked to Haze, who was watching over me in place of my father and Boss.

Unfortunately, I had yet to meet my father in person. I had talked to him on the phone, or the occasional buzzing TV screen before, but never face to face. I had no idea of how he looked like, but the impression I got from hearing his voice was not…pleasant.

His voice was deep and kind and I had expected it to reassure me. It hadn't. I felt a cold chill, even worse than the one I felt with Boss, and I had no idea why. He was my father, he wasn't an enemy, but I hated the way goose bumps littered my skin every time I heard his voice. The only person who didn't set my alarms off was Haze.

Speaking of my caretaker, if I could describe him, Haze was…strange. He wasn't cold towards me, but he wasn't necessarily kind either. He gave off a different vibe from Boss though, so he was a lot more approachable. We even had pleasant conversations.

Like this one two weeks ago.

"Haze?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you wearing a bartender outfit?"

"It is a habit of mine. I prefer wearing proper attire as compared to casual."

"Doesn't it get stuffy?"

"Do you ever feel stuffy in your comfortable clothes, Zero?"

"No?"

"That is my answer."

"But I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt."

"Then I suppose that is how I feel."

Or this one a few days ago.

"Haze?"

"Yes?"

"I'm bleeding through my stomach again. Boss used his quirk, but I think he didn't fix it completely."

"You are getting blood all over the floor. Come with me."

"Your hand feels weird. Like I'm not holding a real hand but a ball of air."

"My apologies."

Haze was safe, if I had to find another word. He didn't hurt me; he treated my wounds and taught me how to do basic living stuff on my own. I could bandage my leg without messing it up too badly. I knew which side of the chopsticks I was supposed to be using.

He never let me cook though. I thought it was because of that one incident where I chopped my fingers off with a knife by accident, and Boss himself had to reattach them to my hand. I wasn't skilled with sharp objects. Considering my job, it was very surprising to me.

"I didn't use any knives or anything?" I furrowed my eyebrows as I sat on my cheap hospital bed, my legs dangling back and forth.

"No. You mostly relied on your quirk." Haze answered, cleaning a particularly nasty cut on my upper left arm.

"What if my quirk was cancelled?"

"You'd beat your victims into submission. You were physically trained in the martial arts as well, so you never had a problem with more forceful methods of killing."

"So…I don't have array of knives tucked away in a black trench coat or anything?"

"No, you do not. I suggest keeping TV shows out of your head when you are dealing with real life, Zero."

"I can't help it if I get bored and a TV is lying around…Please don't take it away?"

"I will do no such thing, rest assured."

It was a strange life, I had to admit. I slept in the cheap hospital bed while Haze took care of me, trained with Boss and faced death too close for comfort often, and had occasional movie binges while my guts were bleeding out.

I didn't feel like part of the mafia or anything, which I technically was.

Not until a certain Thursday, at least.

 **XXX**

 _Click._

"Overhaul. The medicine's done. It should work properly. It took some time, but here it is."

"Good. Give them to me."

A pause.

"…Overhaul. I know we talked about it before, but is it really alright to put our effort into a little girl? She's just ten. I don't see how she can be of use to us, to you."

"Time will tell. For the meantime, I have decided to trust the man with the scarred face. His arguments are very convincing, despite the preposterous truth he speaks of."

"Are you sure? He's not using a quirk on you? I understand your drive and your motive, but…"

"Do your job, Kronos, and everything will be fine. That man, no matter how injured he may look, is strong, possibly stronger than I am. There is no harm in accepting an alliance with a person with more strength than you have. The girl is special. She will be of use to us, or we will make a use out of her otherwise. Just like Eri."

"…Understood."

"How is the quirk cancelling drug doing?"

"Not good. I had thought we could use a replacement for the material that we are missing, but the results… are less than favorable."

"…It seems like we have a way to test her worth now. What perfect timing. Kronos, excuse me. I have an urgent meeting from now."

 _Click._

 **XXX**

"Zero." Boss had called me to the blank white room one day, and I had gone without complaint.

"Yes?"

"How is your condition?"

I nodded, flexing my fingers. "Fine, sir. I feel well."

"Your eyesight?"

I blinked, not expecting the question. "It is… not getting better, I suppose. I feel like it is getting worse. Without my glasses, a lot of objects are getting harder for me to recognize, and even with them on; I can no longer recognize objects three kilometers away."

Boss let out a small hum and rummaged around in his pocket. He tossed me a small container, and I received them effortlessly. I looked at the item in my hands. It was a small, white transparent box with a couple of round things that looked like pills. I looked back up at him in question.

"Kronos managed to make a medicine for your eyesight. It will not return to its original state, but it will stop the worsening process." He explained, and handed me another item. It was also white and had two round containers stuck together. "Those are contact lenses. Your father had them made for you with Kronos's information about your eyesight. It should give you a 20/20 vision."

I stood there, not understanding. I finally managed to speak up after a few seconds. "Thank you, Boss. But, why…?"

"Your father and I have come to an agreement." He bent down to my height, his golden eyes boring into mine. I felt my body tense up ever so slightly, but I kept a calm face as I stared back.

The words came out of his mouth; a little muffled from his plague doctor's mask, but all too clear to me nonetheless, "We have a mission for you to accomplish. Consider it your first test."

I slowly nodded, resisting the urge to shuffle my feet in anxiety. "Understood. What must I do?"

"There is a certain group of…yakuza on the border of the prefecture." Boss's tone was dark, and deadly. It was a scary contrast to the more peaceful and calm tone he had when he was talking to me. "I have tried to convince them to join us, to work towards uniting the underground, but the head is annoyingly persistent, you see. He refused all my offers, but most importantly, he refused to hand over a particular…item."

I nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "You wish for me to steal that item?"

His eyebrow quirked slightly in amusement. "You have two missions. One is to steal the item I need, and another, is to eliminate the family. Once I have the item I need, they will be of no use to us. You will carry out this mission tomorrow. Do you understand?"

"I understand. May I ask what am I supposed to be looking for?"

"It is locked in a safe that resides in his private quarters; you do not need to know any more. Haze has mapped out their headquarters and has written down every member of the family on a piece of paper; he will give it to you after this. I expect you to remember every nook and cranny, and every single member by early morning, tomorrow." Boss stood up, looking down on me.

"I expect much from you, Zero. Do not disappoint me, or your father."

I nodded, stopping my body from shivering. The scar on my stomach seemed to burn.

"Understood."

 **XXX**

 _Bam, badump, bump, wham, screech-_

"Fucking hell!" A fist slammed down onto his back, causing his earphones to drop out and his phone to slip out of his grasp and clatter to the ground. "Turn that fucking music down! What kind of trash do you even listen to?!"

"I don't expect people like you to understand." He replied calmly, picking up the device that was currently still blaring out music. The screen was cracked, but not unusable, he thought as he brushed the dirt off it.

He heard another growl, but another voice cut in. "Give it a rest, man. You know that brat doesn't listen to any of us. It's not worth it."

"Fucking hell," The man behind him snarled. "He should learn some fucking manners!"

"I don't show respect to mindless idiots like you." He retorted, pocketing the phone as he turned around, making eye contact with the taller, muscular brute. "Besides, even if I showed you my most sincere form of respect, I doubt you'd understand, given your minuscule brain."

The man lunged at him, but he simply sidestepped and dodged the attack. The burly man stumbled and crashed to the ground, causing the others around them to laugh. He let out a quiet, exasperated sigh and walked towards the door, ignoring the indignant shouts of the muscle head on the ground behind him.

Exiting the room, he took out his phone to check the date. It was December 13th, a cold, cold winter Friday. He absentmindedly registered the fact that it was Friday the thirteenth, and let out a small snort at the thought.

Pocketing the phone once more, he scratched at the purple skin at his jaw, only to find that a part of it was hanging off his face. He let out an annoyed sigh and decided to retire to his room to sew it back on. It didn't seem like anything interesting would happen today, and he wasn't keen on being around those meat heads who called themselves mafia. It was ridiculous really, and he wondered why he even bothered to stay. He could just kill the head and get on his way.

 _But it's so troublesome_ , a thought caught up to him and his shoulders sagged in response. Killing the boss meant having the entire organization after him, and that meant he had to waste more energy. He wondered if anyone could do the job for him instead.

He let out another snort at the thought. Fucking hell, if he was that lucky, he would have been out of this trash dump earlier in the first place. Putting the ear buds back into his ears, he played the song that he was listening to before he was wrongly interrupted.

The harsh heavy metal sounds rang in his head, his shoes moving in rhythm as he made his way to the poor excuse he called a room.

* * *

 **Hi. I'm sorry for the long delay, but here it is. Chapter 16.**

 **I've read all the reviews, and it seems like there is a big difference in opinions. After reading back, I supposed the change was too quick, and I'm sorry if I disappointed my readers. I'm grateful for the people who continue to support me though, and I want to give a special shoutout to AxelLord20 who took their time to write a long and supportive review for my story. Thank you, really.**

 **I wanted to do this drastic change, because I wanted to write about the underground too. If Ochako had gone on normally like in canon, I felt like there would be almost zero opportunities for her to interact with the League of Villains and all. And really, I wanted to write something different from canon. I tried to follow the canon plot once, a different fanfic from this one, and I found out that my inspiration and writing will died out very, very quickly. So, it's not really a semi-AU, but at the start, I didn't think that it would change this much, haha.**

 **This chapter mostly focused on the changes in our casts' lives. Izuku and Shouto bonding, with family and each other (That reminds me, Shouto's mom's official name is Rei…damn it, why couldn't I have guessed it right, it's such a simple name), a surprising revelation about a certain bombtastic brat, and Zero's life with the manipulative jerkass and a babysitter (I hope my readers notice that she still has some Ochako qualities in her, but has a different feel to her in general…). Plus, a sassy lost child at the end.**

 **I hope you continue to read a badass girl and her chronicles. See you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	18. Chapter 17: Blisters of seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 17: Blisters of seven**

It was five A.M. December 13th, Friday. Friday the thirteenth, I mused in my head, wondering if it was a good thing or not. I got up at four, getting ready for the first mission ever since I woke up.

The contact lenses felt strange in my eyes. I had tried them on for the first time yesterday to get used to them, but it still felt strange. Haze had muttered under his breath that they should have given me the lenses a month early because apparently, there was some kind of process to it…? I wasn't too sure.

I wore the 'uniform' Haze had gifted me before I went to bed; a form-fitting, black cat suit and a black belt around the waist with a 'V' as a symbol. He also gave me black, fingerless gloves and a mask that resembled Boss's, albeit being black and dark blue instead, and it wasn't as long. I didn't carry any knives or weapons similar to it, just a few cases filled with sleeping gas, flash bombs and a small hammer in a black tool belt I fastened around my hips. In case of emergencies, I also carried around a small pistol that was safely tucked away in a thigh holster.

Boss had given me basic lessons on weapon handling, including guns. He had given up on me using sharp objects though.

After I changed, I checked my appearance in my reflection. It was strange, looking in the mirror. I looked like an assassin that Boss created, which, I technically was, I supposed. I didn't want my hair to get into my face, so I tied it up into a ponytail, it being short and spiky due the lack of length. My frayed, white hair stood out immensely from the black attire I was wearing. My hands, now that I looked at them properly, seemed to be shaking slightly. I wasn't sure what to think about that.

Before I walked out of the room, I remembered that Haze requested for me to wear the suit under relatively normal looking attire. I slipped on a baggy sweater and matching colored pants.

When I finished, I headed for the white room that Haze was supposed to meet me in. Since that Boss was busy with his work, Haze would be the one to see me off. When I arrived, my caretaker was already waiting for me, standing in a perfectly straight posture as always.

"Zero. Good morning, how are you feeling today?"

"Morning, Haze. I feel fine, but my hands seem to shake occasionally. Why?" I tilted my head to the side, looking up at him.

Haze replied in a calm voice, "You may be nervous, but that is normal. This is your first mission in a long while."

"I…guess so." I breathed slowly, allowing my beating heart to calm down a little. "So, how do I get there?"

"I will open a portal for you and warp you to the area where their headquarters reside. You will navigate your way from there."

A question popped into my mind, and I hesitated. Haze seemed to have noticed my sudden furrow of my eyebrows, and approached me himself. "Is something wrong?"

"If the mission should be completed as quickly as possible, wouldn't it be easier to warp me to where the item is?" I blinked questionably.

Haze nodded. "That would be the most efficient way; however, my quirk has a distance limit. I cannot warp anything further than vaguely 45 kilometers, and I am afraid to say that the best I can do is transport you to their general area, not the building itself."

Ah, I recalled. Their headquarters was at the border of the prefecture we live in, making it just a little further than Haze could reach. I would have to walk a bit and navigate around, which was why Haze told me to wear normal attire over my uniform.

"I understand."

He nodded once more and walked over to me, stretching out one of his hands towards me. There was a small device that looked like a wireless earphone in it. I blinked and he explained, "This is a communication device. Please put it in your ear like a regular earphone. You will use that to inform me when your mission is completed, and I will create a portal at the exact same spot that I will transport you to."

I nodded once more and took it, quickly putting it in my ear. I let out a small puff of breath and looked up at him, signaling that I was ready to go.

Haze turned his body away from me and outstretched both of his hands. Immediately, the black mist wavered and billowed, slowly shaping itself into a circle no bigger than I was.

I stood in front of the warp hole that Haze created. I looked back at him, pulling the black mask down from my mouth, "Are you sure this is safe?"

"I assure you, it will not harm you in anyway." Haze confirmed; his hands outstretched as black mist wavered in the air.

I adjusted the mask on my face, took another deep breath, and walked into the black mist.

The view in front of me opened up, and suddenly, I was in an alleyway. I looked behind me, seeing the black circle of mist slowly close and fade away, leaving no traces of it behind. I blinked, looking at the wall in slight wonder.

 _That was cool_ , my brain seemed to say. _Do you think we can do it again?_

We would be travelling back the same way, I mused before snapping out of my small thought circle.

I peeked out of the small space I was in, slightly recognizing where I was. It was a little further from my destination that I had thought, but I could navigate. I adjusted the black mask on my face once more before leaving the alleyway with a slouched posture, as to seem as ordinary as possible.

It didn't take too long. I avoided people and crowds in general, and tried to stick to the shadows as much as possible. The place was unfamiliar, yet, familiar at the same time, the map of the general area being pounded into my head. My surroundings changed gradually, from where the normal people were, to the more roughish people lay. Eventually, I didn't have to hide in the shadows anymore because almost no one was walking the streets.

Before I knew it, I was standing in an alleyway close to the affronted building, observing the entrance. It was similar to an abandoned building, the outside blending in with all of the other buildings in the area. There was almost nothing remarkable about it, and I would have missed it if it I wasn't told that it was the lair to a mafia family.

I stripped my outer layer of clothing, discarding them next to a garbage dumpster and hiding them. I couldn't move very efficiently in baggy clothing, but I couldn't let my clothes be found if there were any guards or people of the sort patrolling either. I reached up to adjust the crow's mask on my face on more, before I noticed my hands were trembling.

 _Scary,_ the voice in my head tittered. _I'm scared. I don't want to do this._

Boss is counting on us, I breathed. We need to go.

And I went.

I silently slithered to the wall of the building. It would be risky to climb the wall and enter from the window, I could be easily spotted. The same would go for the front entrance; there most likely would be people around as there was a small lounge that you would enter as soon as you went inside.

That was why I chose the back door instead. Haze informed me that the back door was less guarded than the front in most cases, as it was generally used for taking out the trash or hiding from chasing enemies. The head of the family believed that he wasn't being targeted by anyone right now, so there was a high chance of the back door being more available for me to sneak into.

Haze was right as usual, as soon as I cracked the door open, there was only one guard there, and he was snoozing away on a wooden chair. He was a slightly burly, young man with a prickled shave and a scar on his forehead, but he was vulnerable as a baby bird right now.

The objective of the mission was to steal Boss's wanted item, and kill all the family members. The right choice for me was to kill the sleeping guard as well.

However, as I looked at the man's face, I felt something stirring in me. My hand twitched, but I couldn't lay it upon him and activate my quirk. I willed myself to approach him and lift my hand, but my hand would not stop shaking.

 _Stop. We can't, we can't do this,_ the voice in my head trembled.

We can, I tried to counter. We've been training for this, we've done this before. There shouldn't be any reason why not.

My hand froze.

I lingered at the side of the guard for a slight moment, before closing my eyes and swinging my palm as hard as I could. There was a loud smack as I felt all my fingers make contact into him, and my quirk activated.

 _Zero Gravity: Mass reduction._

The guard snapped awake immediately, his eyes shooting wide open as he hissed in pain. He made eye contact with me and instinctively tried to lunge at me, but then realized he was floating in mid-air. Panic started showing in his eyes and he opened his mouth. I realized that he was planning on signaling that I was in the building, so I jumped, slapping my hand onto his mouth and pulling him down to the ground in the process.

I squeezed my hand harshly, feeling his jaw bones creak and crack. He let out a muffled yell of pain, and I lifted my other finger to my mouth.

"Shh," I shushed silently. "I can't let you do that. It seems that… I don't really want to harm you, but I have no choice."

I looked at him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry. You're in the way of my boss, and I have to kill you."

My right leg shot up and connected with his jaw. The force of my kick, added with the reduced mass of his body, sent his head snapping backwards. To make sure that I had stopped his life permanently, I aimed another hard kick at his chest. I felt his ribcage make way, and I heard a sickening squish as well.

The force pushed him into the wall. I pressed my fingers together, deactivating my quirk on him. The body slumped to the floor lifelessly, no signs of survival of any sort.

Only a piece, a thought struck me. This one man was only a piece, a small factor of the kills I would have to do today.

I felt sick. My stomach whirred. My chest felt heavy. I felt like throwing up, and it wasn't my quirk that made me feel this way.

I had to move on. I had a long mission ahead of me, and I should not be caught up in one person's death.

I breathed in and out, adjusting the mask on my face once more. I would have to be sneaky, I couldn't let any one of my victims alert the boss, or the entire building. Even if I was trained, it was more likely that I couldn't hold my ground against a whole army armed with guns and weapons.

An assassin had to be cold, heartless, calculating, and uncaring, nothing more and nothing less.

I didn't spare a single glance behind me, and left the room.

The kills from there weren't as hard as the first, surprisingly. I didn't have much trouble kicking and twisting, killing the clueless men who had passed by me. Every time a body fell to the ground, I stuffed them into an empty room to hide them. I deduced that somebody would figure out that they had an intruder in the building sooner or later, and I had to delay that moment for as long as possible.

It worked for a while. The numbers in the building were decreasing rapidly because of my handiwork, and no one had a clue. I maneuvered around the place as if this wasn't my first visit, and brought death upon every living being that I stumbled upon.

There was no blood, as my killing method wasn't gruesome or bloody.

 _Thank god for that,_ the voice in my head echoed once more.

I wasn't injured, but I could barely feel anything. I felt numb at best. It was as if someone had injected me with an anesthetic.

I worked my way up from the first floor. I needed to reach the top floor where the head of the family's quarters lay, and the item that boss needed. I intended to kill the head quietly, so that no one would ever know that he was dead before I could reach all of the others. If he let out any sign that his life was in danger, the people left in the building would surely rush to his aid, and I wanted to prevent that from happening. The plan was working smoothly so far, and I had hoped for everything to go according to plan.

I should not have thought that.

When I walking through a corridor on the fourth floor, right below my destination, I heard a small explosion occur. It was not big, nor did it sound dangerous, but I felt my body tense with caution. I saw smoke billowing from somewhere ahead of me. The explosion had happened around the corner, and whatever that would accompany it would be close by. I approached the source carefully and silently, peeking over the concrete wall.

A door slammed open, and a foul smell filled the area almost immediately. I could even smell the horrible stench through the black mask I had on. It was a strange scent, like a mix of wood, gunpowder and sulfur.

A harsh coughing was heard, and I tried to zone into whoever who was responsible for the disaster invading my senses.

I was too late and too unguarded however, because the next thing I knew, a figure popped out of the smoke and leaned on the wall across from me. I felt my body freeze up as I stared at the man who had his head down, his face blocked from my view.

"Damn it, I miscalculated again, huh?" The man- no, teen- muttered from across me. He still didn't seem to notice my presence, which was a relief. He had ebony hair that was spiked in all directions, and he was dressed in a simple white shirt with dark blue pants, a gray belt holding them up.

He lifted his head, and there were two things that registered in my mind, looking at him. One, there was a purple path of wrinkled, burnt, stapled skin that occupied his lower face all the way to a little beneath his collarbone, and another two patches of it under his eyes, making them look like huge eye bags. Two, although slightly hidden beneath heavy lids, his turquoise colored eyes were bright and sharp, and for the first time since I remembered, I thought that something in this world looked…

 _Beautiful,_ the small voice seemed to sigh out. _Such a pretty color._

A beat passed between us as we stared each other down.

I saw his fingers twitch, and that was enough to send me back to reality as I lunged at him with the intention to kill.

 **XXX**

He was having a shitty day.

The screen on his phone had cracked, he had accidently ruined the charger of said device because of his quirk, said device ran out of battery, and he had miscalculated the amount of gunpowder he was supposed to put into his miniature bombs. To put the cherry on top, he was being attacked by a shortie decked out in black like a Russian spy.

To say the least, he hated Friday the 13th although he wasn't even the least bit superstitious.

The shortie was quick. She had lunged at him with her bare hands, and in that split second, he deduced the way she hurt her victims had something to do with them, quirk or not. He reacted swiftly, jumping out of the way, his palms heating up instinctively. He saw her milky, faded brown eyes dart towards them immediately. Normally he would've blasted her with his blue flames almost the instant he saw her, but he didn't want to use his fully powered quirk indoors. He didn't want to risk burning the building down, but mostly he didn't want to damage anything in his room. Just thinking of lighting up anything in there sent a chill down his spine.

He jumped further, trying to put space between them, but she moved faster than he had expected. She was almost in his face again, so he let out a small ball of fire burst out from his palm, not enough to burn anything, but enough to warn her to keep his distance.

"Hey!" He called out, seeing her pause slightly. Her eyes met his in guarded caution, but he could see slight confusion and…curiosity in them? He usually wasn't swayed by the way people looked at him, but for some reason, he felt his interest perk.

"What're you doing here?"

She cocked her head and answered in the plainest tone he had ever heard. "Killing."

He dodged another one of her strikes when she lunged at him once more. "Huh. Any other victims?"

"Everyone I came across so far." She answered once more, and he couldn't seem to find any trace of dishonesty in her. He raised an eyebrow at her words, and heated up his palms, letting out another warning blast to keep her away.

"You here for the head?"

She paused unconsciously, and he took that moment to close the distance between them, trying to get in a hit with his heated palms. However, she moved quicker than he had expected, and her leg shot up to kick him in the throat. He was lucky that he had taken a step back, and her foot only managed to graze him. His tongue clicked in irritation.

"You didn't answer my question." He pointed out, his eyes trained on hers. The strange, crow-like mask on her face covered her mouth, so he couldn't exactly see what kind of expression she was making.

"Yes." She answered all of a sudden, her eyebrow twitching ever so slightly. He felt a small smirk creep onto his lips. It seemed that he wasn't the only one irritated about their dragged out fight.

"Well," He spoke up casually. "You can't find him upstairs. He's not in the building."

His tone came out mocking, his eyebrow quirking up to perfect his condescending look. "Too bad for you."

The furrow between her brow crinkled, and he felt his lips twitch even more.

"Where is he?" She asked him, ducking swiftly as another small ball of fire escaped his palm.

"Why should I tell you?" He let out a curse in his head when she shot towards him, her index finger nearly touching his neck. He instinctively grabbed her wrist, but before he could activate his quirk, she used her momentum to swing her leg up, her foot crashing into his jaw.

He let out a pained grunt and let her go, jumping away to create distance while blasting another ball of blue flames. He heard a small hiss, and when the flames cleared, he saw her cradling her left arm, the cloth burned away to reveal raw skin. He relished in the fact that his flames finally managed to burn her, but the sharp pain in his jaw and blood in his mouth ruined his mood.

"Fuck," He grumbled slightly, spitting out the blood in his mouth. He bitten his tongue hard enough to cut it, but it wasn't bitten through, so that was a good thing. He felt another bout of irritation hit him.

He raised his gaze to the shortie in front of him, the way she was holding her arm and the slight furrow of her brows being the only way he knew that she was getting agitated. Her eyes narrowed when they met his, and he ignored the pain in his jaw to make another smirk.

He had prepared himself for another strike from her, so he was surprised when she just spoke up without attacking.

"Your boss has an item that my boss wants, and he ordered me to kill all of you in the process," Her focused eyes drilled holes into his. He felt another small prick of irritation, and his mouth moved before he could stop himself.

"He's not my boss," He interrupted. "I don't have any attachment towards him."

He saw her pause, and the furrow in her brow lessened. The curiosity that had faded from her eyes returned once more, and he wondered why it was even there in the first place.

"Then why follow him?" The sentence came out slightly rushed, and even she seemed surprised. Her already big eyes widened just a fraction, he observed.

He really didn't have any reason to tell her, he reasoned with himself. The best thing to do was to burn her, dump her carcass in the garbage and go back to his normal, trashy life, but something in him stopped him from doing that. He had no idea what it was, but the flame of curiosity was lit. She was a strange girl. Her way of speaking and her tone were as happy as a dead fish, as were the emotion in her eyes.

He was getting interested. He blamed the horribly boring everyday life he had to lead up until now, and when a strange-as-fuck-midget popped in out of nowhere, well, he couldn't really blame himself.

He didn't recall the blue flames flickering in his palms just yet though. "I needed a place to crash; he needed a new grunt to do his dirty work. I couldn't care less about that man, the only worth he is to me is that he's the owner of this building."

She tilted her head slightly without responding. Her eyes were still as blank as ever, but he swore that they seemed almost…thoughtful.

She wasn't going to lunge at him anymore. Although she was still in a fighting stance, her shoulders were no longer tense. He didn't lower his guard however, she was quick and sneaky, she might have meant to let her guard down to reassure him, and kill him when he least expected.

She moved her head back to her original, straight position, and her question was nothing that he had ever expected. "Are you a part of this family?"

He blinked. The answer came naturally to him.

So he simply answered, "No."

Her response came out in the same tone as his. "Then I have nothing to do with you."

She dropped her guarded posture almost immediately, and as she gazed up at him with big, clouded eyes, he could see how young she really was. It was a little hard to tell because of the mask, but she looked around to be eleven, eight years younger than he was. It sent a weird feeling though his chest, like a feather tickling his heart, so he shut away any thoughts that popped into his mind that involved her appearance.

"Where is this family's boss?" She questioned him once more. "If you do not have any attachment to him, tell me where he is."

Slight amusement took over when he heard how blunt she was.

"Don't you know it's rude not to introduce yourself first?" A snarky tone coated his words.

She replied without any hesitance. "Zero. Where is he?"

Zero. It was most likely a code name. He felt another smirk tug at his lips. "Give me a minute to get my stuff and I'll take you there. I have nothing to do anyway."

At the start of the day, he was expecting today to be a normal, trashy, shitty, boring day with the family members bothering him again. He had expected the same fights, same old bad-mouthing-behind-his-back that he ignored, and the same feeling of emptiness every time he looked out the window. Now, probably more than half of the family was dead, he was on his way to kill the stupid head, and his ticket out of here came in the form of a midget with white hair and robotic eyes.

To a young ninteen year old, anything that smelt like trouble excited him, and this time was no exception.

 **XXX**

I wasn't sure what to make out of the situation.

The teen with the ugly scars and pretty blue eyes was walking casually in front of me, his hands stuffed in his pockets. His jacket was tattered with some parts of it frayed, and a new leather pouch accompanied his belt. A battered looking duffel bag was slung over his shoulder. He was much taller than me, and appeared to be around his late teens or so.

I had no idea what to make out of him. He wasn't a hundred percent hostile even when he went against me, he looked as if he was trying to defend himself rather than kill me. The way he spoke gave me an impression of a lazy, unmotivated teen, like the ones I saw on the TV screen. However, if that was the case, why did he offer to my guide? What could he gain from assisting me?

I decided to ask him when we arrived at the head's quarters and I was rummaging through the safe that the item was kept in.

"Why are you helping me?" I questioned, putting aside another bin of cocaine.

"You're weird," He replied in a drawled out tone, leaning against the wall as he watched me with a lazy eye, ignoring the fallen bodies of his 'not' family sprawled out on the floor. "I'm interested to see what'll happen."

"You're bored," I summarized, my eye catching a small, purple container. I remembered that Haze told me that the needed item was in a similar looking bin. I grabbed it and put it away gingerly in my tool belt.

The scarred teen let out a small scoff. "Well, when you have nothing to do, you tend to drift to the most interesting thing you can get your hands on."

"You don't look like a fickle person though, or maybe you are since you switched sides so easily?" I pondered, walking towards the exit. I briefly spotted him biting his lower lip from the corner of my eye. "Tell me where your boss is."

I heard him walking up to me, his feet dragging across the red carpet. "He's at a brothel down the street. Doesn't matter if it's day or night to him."

I furrowed my eyebrows and turned my head to look up at him. "What's a brothel?"

He paused in his tracks, looking down at me with a raised eyebrow. I could even say he looked amused. "You work for the underground, and you have no idea what a brothel is?"

I stopped myself before I could huff, and immediately felt disturbed that I was going to do such a thing around a stranger.

"Am I supposed to?" I tilted my head.

Although his face was stuck in something similar to a permanent grin, he looked especially amused now. "I don't know if a kid like you is allowed to enter, but it doesn't really matter anyway. He left two hours ago, I'm pretty sure he's leaving the place soon. I think you've already gotten rid of everyone here, so you might want to get a move on if you want to catch him."

I was going to ask Haze about a 'brothel' when I got back, I left a small memo in the back of my head.

"Okay," I nodded. "Let's go."

I grabbed his hand, jumped out of the closest window and activated my quirk in mid-fall all in one smooth motion.

He didn't even have time to dodge or blink, so when a small strangled noise came out of his mouth as we floated gently downwards, he angled his head to glare at me.

"At least warn me if you're going to do something like that!" He hissed.

I shrugged, suddenly feeling very proud of myself.

He looked around, appearing much calmer after he got used to the gentle descend. "Your quirk, huh? Gravity manipulation?"

"Something like that. I thought you saw me use it when I was killing the people on the fifth floor."

"I didn't have time to observe it properly. For a midget, you're pretty fast." He grumbled in a low tone, his gaze dropping. I followed his gaze to see my hand still in his, and I felt…strange.

It was odd, feeling another person's skin touching mine. Haze was more mist than skin, and I couldn't…touch Boss. My father, I didn't even knew how he looked like.

When we reached the ground, I let go of his hand and pressed my fingers together. Our feet dropped to the flat surface with a few soft taps, and I looked at him.

"Wait here, I need to get my clothes. Bring me there after I change."

His eyebrows were a little furrowed, his smile not too lifting compared to before, but nonetheless he nodded. I nodded in return and went back to the dumpster to get my sweats.

I sensed something was wrong immediately when my clothes were nowhere to be found.

My gut was correct when I saw two men appear from their hiding places from behind the dumpster, their guns pointed at me. I turned back to spot the scarred teen on the ground with another man pining him down. A pair of footsteps approached me from behind, so I turned around once more to see a pudgy man in a pinstripe suit. He had a fedora hat on, and he reeked harshly of alcohol. I deduced that he was the man I was looking for.

 _So someone did contact them,_ the voice in my head chirped in annoyance.

"Hello there, little one. I suppose that you're the reason why I haven't been able to reach anyone back at headquarters, huh?" The pudgy man in front of me scowled, his face slightly flushed and speech slurred. I refused the urge to scrunch up my nose.

"And you, brat." He looked behind me to see the scarred teen with half of his face pressed to the ground, one of his eyes darting up to look at him. "I should have expected this. You were nothing more than a stinky rat after all."

"It's not my fault you're such a shitty boss," The teen mumbled with a little difficulty. "Everyone in your family has an IQ lower than an insect. It would be an offense not to turn against you."

The man started turning redder than a tomato. I was getting tired of useless banter. There were guns pointing at me, but the boss was distracted right now. The bullets would hurt, but I had to finish the mission quickly.

Before I could move however, there was a strong burst of blue fire, and a pained screech accompanied it. I turned back to see a fallen man with blue fire flickering on his body, and the teen brushing off the dirt on his clothes. He directed his lidded eyes towards me, towards the guns and the boss, and smirked.

The pudgy man was steaming. "You-you fucking little-!"

"Hey, shortie." The teen with the scarred face called out to me. "Who're you working for again?"

"The Shie Hassaikai," I answered, my eyes trained on my target. The moment I uttered that name, the man in front of me froze. His red skin started turning blue instead, and I saw the expression of horror upon his face. His eyes darted to my form, then to my tool belt, and his eyes widened even more.

"Alright, then that's who I work for now," The scar faced man smoothly said, and for some strange reason, I felt like slapping my palm to my face.

"I don't know if that's how it works."

"Who cares?"

I suppose Boss wouldn't mind a new member, I pursed my lips. He was strong; he managed to hold his own against me longer than any member of the enemy family, and he seemed to be fine with killing people. He did just burn a man to death.

"Okay," I answered. "I shall bring you back to Boss and see what he thinks."

I saw the amusement flash into his eyes once more, and his permanent grin widened. "Cool."

He thrust out his arms and blue fireballs erupted from them. The fire moved quickly, heading towards the two men pointing guns at me. The fireballs hit the men faster than they could shoot me, so I took the chance and pounced.

I activated my quirk when my fingers touched the boss's neck. Instantly, I put both of my hands around it and squeezed, hearing a sharp crack. He let out a painful, breathy and pig-like whine and fell to the ground. I saw blood trickle out of his mouth and I assumed that he had bit his tongue in the process. He would choke on his blood and the broken bones in his neck would suffocate him, but I couldn't just immobilize him and let him die slowly.

So I made my hand form a fist, and plunged it through his chest.

It was a disgusting experience. I felt the blood pumping through his heart until the last moment, the warmth and flesh of the human body, and instantly, I regretted my decision. I pulled my bloody fist out with a sickening crack, and the dead body floated away from me.

My fingers were trembling for some reason; it took me a while to press them together to deactivate my quirk.

I heard footsteps approach me. "So? How long are you gonna sit there? I already threw the three bodies into the dumpster. Don't you have to dispose of that body too?"

I didn't realize I was sitting on the ground, staring at my bloody hand until he pointed it out. I breathed in and out, calming down my frayed nerves. I managed to stand up with a mask of indifference, keeping my gaze on the dead body in front of me.

"I suppose." I managed to answer before getting to work.

After I did my job and found my clothes, I stuffed my metal smelling hand into the pocket of my sweatpants and gestured for the teen to follow me. He walked lazily beside me, his shoulders sagging as his feet dragged. I walked silently and cautiously, my footsteps hardly making a sound.

He didn't attempt to make any conversation, which I was glad for. I had a feeling that I could not reply to anything the way I was right now. I couldn't shrug the feeling of his eyes trained on me though.

When we reached the place where Haze dropped me off, I contacted Haze through the earpiece. Immediately, a hole of swirling, dark mist appeared, and I stepped in. I saw the teen hesitate for a bit before following, and before I knew it, we arrived in my hospital room; the place that I had been living in ever since I woke up in that hospital bed.

Haze was standing in front of us. He ran his yellow eyes over my form first, before darting up to focus on the tall man beside me. "I suppose you are the one that Zero mentioned just now? The strange, scar-faced pubescent that followed her and assisted her because of your boredom?"

The teen sent me a deadpan stare that I returned. "You were saying that kind of stuff when you were talking?"

I raised and lowered my shoulders in a fluid motion. He looked…exasperated, if that was the word.

He turned back to Haze, his posture as lax as ever. "Yeah, you could say that. I don't have a place to go, I'm adequately strong, I can kill, and I don't mind doing your dirty work for you. Is that enough to join?"

"You have to talk to Boss first," I reached up to take off the crow's mask, pulling it away and feeling the chill air cool down my face. "Haze?"

Haze nodded. "I shall call for him immediately. Please do relax and freshen up if you must, in the meantime. Zero, are you going to shower?"

I nodded, still hyper aware of the red liquid on my fist. "Yes, please."

"Understood. Let me patch up your wounds after you do so." Haze's gaze flickered to my arm. I followed his gaze to see a blotch of red skin, and I recalled that I had been burnt quite recently.

"Can I go too?" The teen voiced out. "If you didn't notice, I'm reeking of the scent of failed experiments."

"You probably should too, Boss hates dirty people," I looked up at him and he angled his head to face me. He looked a little surprised, his blue eyes tracing my face as if seeing it for the first time. "I only have one shower in this room. There's only time for one shower though, since Boss would be angry if I do not report to him soon." I stared up at him and for a second, I thought I saw him blanch.

 _Are you suggesting-?_ The voice in my head squeaked. _But-_

We are merely a little over ten, I reasoned. And he looks to be no older than his late teens, at best. It would not be strange. I've heard of siblings bathing together like this.

 _But, he's a stranger! We don't know anything about him-_

All the more it should not feel awkward, shouldn't it? In dramas, the characters are always more awkward after they realized that they know the person in an awkward situation.

His turquoise colored eyes scanned my face rapidly, as if looking for some sort of sign. When he let out a sigh and slumped onto my bed, I tilted my head in question. I heard Haze let out a similar sound, and I turned to look at him instead.

"Zero, please take your shower. I shall escort him to my room, where he can use mine instead."

The teen let out another sigh, this time of relief, and stood up. I blinked when I realized that option and nodded at Haze. He tilted his head towards me, the black mist that made his hand quivered slightly, and he looked at the teen once more.

"May I ask what your name is?"

That reminded me. I had not asked for his name when he asked for mine.

"I don't have one," He answered smoothly, his eyes tracing over the two of us. "But if you have to, call me Blister."

Blister.

 _Blister._

I tucked his name away in my mind.

 **XXX**

* * *

Another dream. Another place, another voice, another presence.

He could hear them. He could hear someone.

" _We can't- not like this- this is-"_

Faded. They sounded like static in the wind. Unclear, faint.

" _We have to- he's not going to- stop!"_

Two people? Three? One of the voices sounded eerily familiar, like a voice he had known all his life.

" _Fucking – Shitass-"_

" _Calm-down-Baku..-gou."_

Baku..gou?

" _Fuck you-shitty half n' half-"_

Half n'…half? Why did that sound so… familiar?

" _We-…need to…-"_

"… _This-stupid-ass…fucking-… De-.."_

The alarm rung like a siren in his ear, and he went back to the world of the living.

* * *

 **XXX**

Winter was always Shouto's favorite season, because most of his family loved it, and mostly because his mother loved it. It was also because it was one of the seasons where he had the most fun with Ochako.

After she was gone, he tried to connect with his family a little more. Losing her opened a void in his heart that couldn't be filled, but he was trying. He came out of his room more often. He talked to Fuyumi more, but there were times where she acted strange.

Shouto never knew that she carried around a photo until he caught her looking at it one day. It took him a few minutes to realize that it was a family photo, Endeavor, his mother, Fuyumi, him, his older brother with the white hair, and another boy (brother?) with…red hair? When she realized that he was there, she stuffed it into her wallet and pretended that everything was fine. Shouto knew that that was a sign telling him that she wanted him to forget it, so he tried to.

He tried to catch his older brother – Natsuo, was it? He was a terrible brother, he couldn't even remember him until Fuyumi told him – before he went to school and greeted him when he came home. He sat down and drank tea with his grandmother. He called his mother more often.

He managed to fix his life into something like a routine. Wake up, eat breakfast with his family, send Natsuo and Fuyumi off to school or whatever, study at home, have lunch, train, greet his siblings when they returned, train, eat dinner with his family again, and sleep.

On weekends, after training with his brute of a father, he would wobble to Izuku's house to rest. Or play, it really depended on how they both felt. Sometimes he took the bus, sometimes his grandmother drove him, and he was really grateful for the fact that only Endeavor saw him as less of a human being and more an object in the Todoroki household. Playing with Izuku was fun. Izuku looked better; the bags under his eyes weren't so obvious and the color of his face wasn't a pale white, but he seemed distracted, even more than normal, lately. He told Shouto it was because his hair was growing out and it kept getting caught in his eyes, but Shouto wasn't so sure of that.

There were days though. Days when he felt like the sky was too gray or the snow was too white, or when his favorite soba didn't taste very good. On those kinds of days, he left the house behind even if Endeavor was yelling for him, and went to visit her.

Sometimes, he saw Tenko there. Just standing there with a broken umbrella in hand and gazing at her name engraved on the stone. Today was one of those days.

He slid up next to the taller teen who didn't even bat an eyelash at his sudden appearance. "Hi."

Tenko's red eyes flickered to him for a second before reverting. "Hey."

Shouto's breath came out misty in the winter cold. "How've you been doing?"

"Shitty as always. I keep telling mom and dad to take a break from work but they don't listen to me. They keep saying that they have to work to make enough money for us."

"…Oh."

"I don't think I can- or even want to go to college anymore. Not like this."

This was the first time that Tenko ever mentioned something like that to Shouto, but he nodded along anyway.

"I'm thinking of working. I can still get a part-time job while studying."

"I think that's okay." Shouto voiced out his opinion, reaching out to brush the snow off the stone. "I think…she would be happy with whatever you think is right."

Tenko didn't say anything after that, but he didn't need to. The two of them spent a few more minutes standing there, Shouto prayed and talked to her in his head, and when they decided they were done for the day, Tenko offered to walk Shouto home. He was surprised by that, but he agreed to it anyway.

As he sought shelter under the broken umbrella Tenko held for both of them, he warmed his left side and stuck to the tall teen as much as he could without the both of them getting uncomfortable. The walk was quiet and peaceful.

Fuyumi looked grateful for Tenko when they appeared on the doorstep. She ushered Shouto in quickly before anyone else (Endeavor) spotted them and thanked Tenko before smiling at him and closing the door. Tenko managed to sneak in a nod before briskly walking away as if to hide the fact that he had ever been there.

Shouto wished that his life would hurry up sometimes, just so that he could skip past all the sadness and grief.

 **XXX**

Spring was coming in a few more weeks, and Izuku still had no idea what to do.

He threw himself into taking notes on heroes. He threw himself into training with the limited amount of sources that he had. He tried to eat better, sleep better, smile better. It was hard. It was difficult and grating, and the only reason why he could get through the horrible period was because of his mother, and Shouto.

His mother loved him like nothing else mattered. She cooked his favorite katsudon more often, she bought him notebooks, she hugged and cuddled him when he was feeling horrible, and he was so, so grateful.

Shouto tried to visit every weekend. He usually came with bruises and burns that his mother treated with absolute care, and they hunkered down with blankets, snacks and movies. They couldn't train in the winter because his house wasn't exactly an ideal place, and Shouto refused to bring Izuku over to his house for both of their sakes. It was a lot quieter without her, but Izuku tried to talk more and Shouto was also making an effort, so… it could've been worse.

Izuku pushed the strand of curly hair that flopped in front of eyes away again.

He was recovering, he wasn't going back to his old ways, he wouldn't- he promised himself that. If he went back, everything she tried to do would be for naught, and he couldn't- wouldn't do that to her.

Bakugou avoided him at school. That was oddly surprising, but then he could vaguely recall him being there when it all happened, so he…understood, he supposed.

His hair was getting in the way again, he thought a little annoyingly as he tried to scribble words into his notebook as his eyes were glued to the TV screen again.

They were talking about a massacre in the outskirts of Mususafu. Apparently, the ones who were killed were a group of mafia people. Most of them were assumed to be killed swiftly; all of them had broken bones except for three men that were found in a dumpster nearby their hideout. The three of them had severe burns that coated their entire body, and another one who was assumed to be the boss had a broken neck and a hole through his chest.

For a normal eleven year old, this news would have shocked them to the bone, but Izuku kept writing. Unseen, cruel villains with new quirks, he jotted down. He wrote everything that he considered to be connected to heroism and villainy. In a way, it was his way of staying connected to the world, to be aware of what was going on around him.

His hair was in the way again. Izuku stopped writing to look at the full body mirror in the living room, and noticed that his hair looked like a big, green mop. He closed his notebook and opened his mouth, calling out for his mother hesitantly.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?" He heard her hum back.

"Can I cut my hair? Please?"

"Sure, when do you want to go to the barber's?"

"Um, today?"

"Really? What's the rush?"

"I don't…really know." He glanced at the mirror again and for a second, he saw an image of him on that rainy day, pale skin with scars and a knife in his hand. "I guess…I want to change a bit."

Change. Change, and leave it all behind.

* * *

 **I made a mistake last chapter. Ochako/Zero is eleven. Not ten.**

 **Hello everybody. How do you do?**

 **I'm sorry it took a while, but I got it done. Yay, chapter seventeen.**

 **I'd like to think that Dabi shuffled around with many different names before settling on Dabi. It was implied that Dabi wasn't the only name he went by, so here is his first!**

 **The new chapter. Oh my god, I don't know what to think. Big bro Touya. It would be funny if Touya and Dabi would be completely unrelated, but it would give Dabi so much more background if he really is a Todoroki. I can't wait to see what Horikoshi does next.**

 **So, many hints dropped for future stuff. Zero is oblivious and has no sense of common sense. Haze and Blister will facepalm internally many times in the future. And who knows, maybe more people will be coming along soon.**

 **And because of a reviewer pointing out so, I decided to change the summary a bit from Semi-AU to a fullblown AU. I never thought it would become like this when I first started this story, so I'm sorry if my readers were mislead with the summary and didn't expect any of this.**

 **Bye for now, hopefully I'll see you all later soon.**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	19. Chapter 18: Twists of eight

**Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 18: Twists of eight**

Shimura (Uraraka) Tenko was nineteen years old when he decided to go job hunting. He was still in high school – his last year for goodness sake – he had no social skills, he was only somewhat decent at household chores, and the only thing he was good for was wasting away in front of a computer screen.

Needless to say, job hunting went horribly. Most of the people interviewing him were either intimidated by the glare in his eyes or mocking him because of his attire. His family wasn't the richest in the world, so the only clothes he had that was even close to being formal was a pair of jeans and a slightly ratty, white, button up shirt. He gave himself an once-over in the mirror and wanted to disintegrate the damn thing because he looked fucking _ridiculous._

He could have sworn that that brat was laughing at him at wherever the fuck she went after dying. He refused to present her grave with anymore boxes of Oreos.

So there he was, in his all buttoned up glory, sitting on a park bench in the city with nothing else to do because he'd accidentally used his quirk on the interviewer's wig.

Not like it was on purpose, of course.

He stared up at the sky, his legs and arms sprawled out. The clouds were floating by idly as if they were completely ignoring his frustrations. He intensified his glare.

Job hunting was a fucking pain in the ass, he thought to himself.

But you want to help mom and dad, another voice in his head rang out, loud and clear, and sounding suspiciously like it was singing.

Of course he wanted to help them. They weren't connected by blood, and he could never forget his real father, but they took care of him. It only made sense to repay them, although he would never tell them that. He was sure that they would only try to stop him from doing anything more than studying. They wanted him to live a life where he didn't have to be shackled down by them.

He let out another heavy sigh. The sky was turning a faint orange. It was already in the evening. He could try job hunting another day, he thought idly to himself, finally calming down.

"Hello, young man. You seem to be troubled, are you alright?"

"What the fuck-!" He let out a surprised yell and nearly jumped out of his seat. Instead, he looked down to see a small, white…rodent (?) in a suit with a scar over its eye. The rodent-person merely smiled before plopping onto the space beside him, and all Tenko could do was staring warily at…it.

He hadn't heard any footsteps. This weird character just appeared out of nowhere without any warning, and Tenko's mind was too tired to deal with this shit, he decided.

"Excuse me, I need to-" He managed to push out.

"Now, now, do not panic. I was merely taking a short stroll before I saw a distressed man. I wish you no harm." It continued smiling at him, seeming blissfully unaware of Tenko's stare of indignation. "Please, sit down. Maybe a short chat might help?"

Tenko didn't realize he was standing before the rodent pointed it out to him. He knew that he shouldn't spill his worries and possible secrets to a complete stranger, but Tenko also had no one to talk about his problems with.

What the hell, he thought. He could just use his quirk if something bad happened anyway.

So he sat down.

"So, let's get on with the introductions," The rodent started cheerfully. "My name is Nezu. What is yours?"

"…Shimura, Tenko." He said hesitantly. Nezu nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer.

"So, Shimura-kun, may I inquire? You seem to be in distress."

The way Nezu spoke was calm, relaxed and a little weird. Maybe it was his voice, Tenko wasn't so sure, but there was something that made Nezu stood out besides his very strange appearance. Tenko juggled with his thoughts for a slight moment before speaking up.

"It's nothing big, really. I'm…looking for a job. I don't really care what it is unless it's illegal. I just need money right now, for my…parents." He summarized.

"Hmm, hmm, I see, I see." Nezu hummed out. "And why is that?"

Tenko bit his lip. "…Our family's poor. We need the money, and I don't want to be a burden to my parents. They keep telling me not to worry, but they're pushing themselves too much." He wasn't conscious of the worried tone that slipped into his voice.

"Shimura-kun, you are a very admirable person. Judging from the way you speak about them, I can tell that you are a kind hearted person who loves his family very much," Nezu said. "Your parents are the same, are they not? They only wish for your happiness, and they most likely want to you to put yourself before them."

"…Yeah." Tenko nodded. "But I don't want to. I want to help them."

Nezu let out another hum to signal that he was listening. Tenko fiddled with his fingers, resisting the urge to scratch his neck. There were already many marks because of his recent stress, he didn't want to bleed and make it worse. His bad habit hadn't faded even after he was taken in. It felt like a curse at times, something to remind him of his past. Now that she was gone, it was harder to push away the nightmares that would befall him sometimes.

"Well then, would it be alright if I offer you a job?" Nezu chirped, and Tenko nearly fell out of his seat.

"What?! But you just met me! What the- how-"

"I see potential in you, Shimura Tenko-kun," Nezu continued. "You are a kind and caring person, and you seem like the type to be brutally honest no matter the situation. I feel like a person like you around the workplace may be quite an assist." He shuffled around in his pockets for a bit before pulling something out.

"Here is my business card. Please contact me when you make up your mind." Nezu handed him a small, white card, promptly got up, and walked away from the park bench, just like that.

Tenko lowered his gaze to look at the words on the card and nearly touched it with all of his five fingers.

 _Nezu. Principal of U.A. high school._

What in the actual hell.

 **XXX**

Zero was an emotionless little brat, Blister thought to himself.

She spoke in a monotone voice. Her milky, brown eyes were normally free of emotion. If one tied her to a post and tried to interrogate her, he would bet on the fact that she'd freak out the interrogator first.

At least her body language was close to normal and she wasn't a total ghost. Blister found out the trick to decode her moods, no matter how much she seemed like she didn't have any. The eleven year old usually worked faster when she was happy. Her eyebrow twitched when she was bothered. When she walked over to him and stared at his experimenting or started binge watching television shows, he knew that she was bored, which seemed to be her default mode.

"What're you doing?" Zero walked into his messy room one day, strolling up to him as he was strapping on his gloves.

"Experimenting," He replied. "Making smoke bombs. Gases. Stuff like that."

"Weapons?"

"Yeah. I keep them in a small capsule that melts away when I use my quirk. I figured it'd be useful if I have to tag along with your 'assignments'."

She paused, looked up at him with those blank eyes, and said, "Cool."

He blinked back. She pulled up a slightly burnt up chair next to him and sat there for two hours.

She was curious about many things, but she never asked about him. She never pried into his past, never asked why his burn nearly covered all of his face, never tried to get close to him. She only approached him when she felt like it, when it was necessary or when she had nothing better to do. The treatment she gave him was quite comforting to be honest, as he wasn't exactly the cuddly-sharing type either.

She also ate a lot, which was quite unusual and unexpected. She looked like the type to starve because they considered eating way back on their list of to dos.

"Zero…That is your third bowl of rice." Haze struggled to hold back a sigh, Blister could tell. He grabbed another piece of pork before she could. "And you…insist on having more?"

"…I'm hungry." She held out her hands, the rice bowl in them. "Please. I have…to meet Boss later."

Blister wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. He knew what happened behind those stainless, white doors. He accidently snuck a peak when he was passing by, just walking around the place to get used to it while ignoring all the 'off-limits' signs, and he nearly felt sick watching them. It was no wonder why Zero was as fucked up as she was now, the man that questioned him when he wanted to join was bat-shit merciless and crazy.

He also knew that that boss of hers was feeding her something. Pills, they seemed to be. They were probably drugs or some kind of enhancing serum, but when he asked Haze about it, the caretaker only told him that they helped her health. He had never heard anything more 'bullshit-y' in his life.

Something was going on, and Zero was caught in the middle.

For a while, it was only the two of them; three if you counted the misty caretaker. They mostly stuck to themselves, which Blister didn't mind, with small interactions here and there. He saw glimpses of the other members of the family time to time, but he never hung out long enough to be formally introduced. It was a lot better than being stuck in that mafia family a few months back. At least somebody didn't mind his heavy metal blasting from his earphones.

("So…this is…?"

"Led Zeppelin."

"…And this is…?"

"Metallica."

"…Who's this again?"

"We just went over that."

"…They sound the same."

Apparently, she had no taste in music as well.)

That was why he knew she was very, very troubled (Maybe even a little freaked out) when a blonde child appeared out of nowhere and started clinging to her.

"Wow~ You looked so ragged!" The crazy, knife holding girl squealed. "Covered in blood like that! You're so cute too, like a doll!" She started rubbing her cheek against Zero's blood covered one and Zero was still looking at him with that 'help me' look in her eyes.

They had just finished a mission, and he went back to the rendezvous point when she appeared, stained in blood with a girl hanging off her. She looked extremely lost and had no idea what to do; her eyebrow was twitching, her eyes were staring straight at him, and her body posture was so stiff you could honestly mistake her for a life sized cardboard cutout.

So, naturally, Blister took out his phone and snapped a shot of them. The girl didn't seem to realize his presence until Zero called out his name, and when she did, she looked just as excited.

"Ooh, are you two friends? You look kind of ragged too, and since that you're friends with Zero-chan, let's be friends! We can be like a small gang together, haha!" She laughed cheerfully, as if seeing a human patchwork and a blank faced assassin was the most ordinary thing ever.

Blister had immediately thought that she was somewhere loose in the head. He assumed Zero had thought something among the lines as well, judging by the way she was still looking like a deer caught in headlights.

She revealed her name to be Toga Himiko, and she absolutely insisted on tagging along with them. Zero looked like she wanted to oppose, but Toga had refused to let go of her until she was sure that she wouldn't run off. Blister almost felt sorry for her.

When they arrived back in headquarters with a new member of their 'ragtag gang of…something', Zero had immediately looked at him with a fixed stare.

Spending enough time with her, Blister had a faint idea of what she wanted to say. "It was funny." He replied idly, looking at the picture saved in his phone.

"It was troublesome."

"Take a look yourself." He showed her the picture, and it could have been his imagination, but her lips twitched faintly before falling into that blank mask she always wore.

Toga Himiko became 'Alter'. She seemed to be around Zero's age, which brought up the question of why a little girl like her was carrying a knife and wandering around such dangerous areas, but Blister knew better to ask. The girl looked excited at the prospect of having a code name though, and she was practically stuck to Zero most of the time.

He had asked Zero once about the reason why.

"I'm not sure either," She looked just as lost as he was. "She approached me when I was killing a victim. She told me that I looked 'cute' and she was interested in me. I simply replied with a 'You look cute as well', and from then on, she stuck to my side like glue."

He blinked. "Why did you say that?"

She looked up at him. "I saw that in one of the afternoon dramas. Isn't that what you say when someone compliments you?"

Another thing about Zero; she had no common sense and took advice from TV shows. Very dangerous.

Two became three, and their Boss approached them one day without any warning. Blister was wary of the guy ever since he met him, and it seemed like it wasn't only him who shared the same opinion.

"Blister-kun," Toga had inched closer to him when the crow masked man took Zero away. "I don't like our boss very much."

"Hmm," He hummed, his eyes trained on the door they disappeared into. "I think you shouldn't. There's something wrong going in his head."

"Does Blister-kun trust him?" Toga tilted her head, looking up at him. He averted his gaze to look at her yellow eyes, noting that they seemed brighter when talking about more serious matters.

"No," He answered.

"But, do you trust Zero-chan?" She inquired pushier, her eyes boring into his. "I trust Zero-chan. Zero-chan seems blank, but I don't think she used to be like that."

"And how would you know that?" He shifted his posture to face her.

Toga smiled toothily, her cheeks taking on a pinker tone. "Because Zero-chan is so cute!"

He really didn't understand her.

"Zero-chan is more expressive than you think," She started blabbering. "I've been looking at her ever since we first met! I think Zero-chan is a really expressive person underneath that mask, and I want to know more about her because we're friends!"

He raised an eyebrow. "…Okay."

"Besides," She brought her hands up to her face, her yellow eyes glazing over slightly. "She called me cute. No one's ever called me that before."

Blister wisely decided not to mention that she probably didn't mean it.

Zero returned soon after their conversation. He had asked her what their boss wanted with her.

"Boss thinks that we should make our own division, like the Expendables. Since that you two joined because of me, he thinks that we should start working together as a group," She started, looking at them. "We'll live in the building with the bar that Haze runs instead of headquarters. We will be a semi-independent group; we will still get missions from Boss and…father, but otherwise, we are free to make moves on our own that will benefit the family."

Toga squealed happily and threw her arms around the smaller girl, gushing about living together like a family. Blister was a little relieved that they would have some space to themselves without feeling like somebody was watching them twenty-four seven. Especially if they could get away from the crazy crow.

The misty caretaker would be tagging along with them, though it made sense seeing as it was his bar they would be crashing at. Blister didn't mind the guy as much, he was respectable, observant without being creepy, and he took care of them well without being annoying. Plus, he made amazing non-alcoholic drinks. His quirk was useful and cool too.

It would be a week before they moved officially. Something about cleaning the place, apparently.

 **XXX**

She was cursed. She was unwanted, shunned, given away.

" _Mama…Mama!"_

" _Stay away! A monster like you… A monster like you! Because of you my husband died! It's all your fault!"_

" _!...Mama!"_

She shouldn't have been born. She should have been dead.

"… _Hello there. Are you alright?"_

"… _Mama…"_

" _I'm your grandfather. And this man next to me? He will be your caretaker from now on. I believe that you two have similar quirks, and he might be able to understand you. You don't have to worry anymore."_

"… _Hey."_

"…"

"… _She's not responding."_

" _Give her time, Chisaki. She'll come around."_

Everything hurt. It was painful, she didn't want any more of it, but the more she cried, the more she begged for it to be over, the more she knew that nothing would change. She was still cursed, an abomination. She didn't deserve to be alive.

The wrappings around her were bloody. No one bothered to clean her up. She was still stuck in that chair, bound to it, waiting for someone, anyone to let her out, but she knew there was no one there for her. She was trapped in that dark, dark place where she would never see the light again.

Why? Why her? Why did it have to be her? She just wanted a family. A loving mother. A loving father.

No, she had that. She had that before everything went wrong because of her. Because of the thing called a quirk. Why did something like that exist?

She balled up her small fists, shaking, willing herself not to cry. She couldn't move. Her body was still in pain. Everything burned and everything hurt.

She would be trapped in here forever, without anyone to save her.

 **XXX**

Yesterday, it was a lost child.

The day before was helping an old lady cross the street.

Today was helping a blind man find his dropped cane.

"Thank you so much," The man smiled warmly at him as he patted his shoulder. "We don't see many people like you these days, a youngster willing to help a blind man like me."

Izuku shook his head, smiling up at the taller man. "It's no problem, sir! I'm glad I was able to be of help."

After walking around town for a while, the sun was setting, and his mother was going to make tonkatsu for dinner. The man waved goodbye to Izuku as he did the same. Izuku then let out a small breath before squaring his shoulders. He walked back into the direction he came from.

This was the last year he would spend as a primary school student. He was going to become a junior high school student soon. The thought made him feel a little weird.

That reminded him, he didn't ask Shouto if he was going to school next year. The most likely answer would be 'no', but there was a small hope in Izuku that wished that they would go to the same school someday. Shouto was the only person he could call a friend right now, and spending time with him was so much better than going to school alone.

School was…okay, he supposed. There were still the occasional hiding-his-shoes, stealing-his-bag and what-not, but there were no direct confrontations. Bakugou had kept ignoring him, and Izuku was quite relieved. They didn't see each other much because they were in different classes anyways.

Time passed, and he was sitting at his desk in class the next day. The teacher was talking on and on about math, but Izuku had already studied that particular area with Shouto the other day. The taller boy's education was much faster than the one at school, so Izuku and he would have small study sessions to keep up his grades. Mostly because Izuku wanted to dedicate his free time with exercising and walking around town to help people in need.

Something hit him on the back of his head. Izuku lowered his gaze and saw a crumpled, paper ball. Knowing better than to pick it up, he stubbornly averted his gaze to the notebook on his desk and continued to fill out the information he remembered from the news he watched this morning.

Another ball hit him, this time on his neck. Izuku still refused to budge.

The entire lesson was spent like that. Izuku felt more and more irritated as the paper balls thrown at him seemed to increase, but he still refused to show any reaction. He wasn't going to give them any satisfaction. It was hard during the last few minutes, but he willed himself to think of the fact that he was going to spend an entire weekend at Shouto's house soon. Endeavor was going to stay in his headquarters in the city, so it was the perfect chance for Izuku.

He remembered how Shouto looked when he informed him. He looked happy and relieved, and Izuku was glad for his friend as well. The bruises on his legs and arms seemed to increase, and his neck was still wrapped in bandages because of a burn. Izuku saw a glimpse of his stomach before, and saw that it too was wrapped in bandages.

Another paper ball hit his shoulder before the bell finally rang. Izuku practically shoveled his things into his bag and ran out of class, grateful that it was the last bell of the day. Technically, they weren't allowed out of school yet, but since that he wasn't part of the cleaning group this week, he didn't want to stay in that classroom any longer. He had an uneasy feeling.

Of course, it came true. He crashed into a very familiar boy that he'd been trying to avoid for most of his life and fell to his butt.

"Oi, watch where you're-" Bakugou paused and his red eyes widened slightly. Izuku clenched his fist and slowly got up.

"Sorry," He apologized stiffly. "I wasn't looking."

He heard Bakugou click his tongue. "…Damn right. Stupid nerd, you can't even look forward?"

"I already apologized," Izuku pushed out, his eyebrow furrowing. "And I'll leave now. Bye."

He pushed past the blonde boy, but before he could even walk away, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. Izuku jerked back, turning his head to see Bakugou's scowling face and the tight grip on his arm.

For a moment, fear took over Izuku's mind.

 _His hand, his hand, it's going to explode, it's going to burn again, again again-_

He sucked in a huge breath and exhaled deeply.

"What do you want, Ka-Bakugou?"

Bakugou's glare worsened. "…Why are you calling me that?"

Izuku blinked. That was… not what he had expected. "…What?"

"Bakugou," Bakugou growled out. "You never called me that. Why the hell all of a sudden?"

"I've been calling you that for a while," Izuku replied, still a little nervous at the prospect of Bakugou holding his wrist.

"It's annoying. You keep screwing up like just now. Why aren't you going back to normal?" He gritted out, and Izuku suddenly felt as if he wasn't just talking about that.

"…Kacchan," He tested. It almost felt nostalgic. He hadn't been calling him that for about a year. "I've changed. I'm not the helpless boy you used to pick on anymore. I don't want to go back to the way things were. Kacchan, you've changed too, I think. You don't try to hurt me every time we meet. I think… it's mostly because of…" Izuku felt his breath catch, and a lump grew in his throat.

"…I'm not," He heard the blonde boy mutter. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" He practically growled and his glare intensified, his red eyes practically glowing with desperate anger. "I'm not like you! I didn't change, not because of her! I'm still stronger than you! You will never be above me! So stop trying to be anything more than Deku!"

Izuku sucked in a sharp breath and bit his lip harshly. "…You're right, Kacchan. We're not the same. I'm trying to move forward. I'm trying to overcome my weakness. I even rediscovered what I want to do. I'm not going to let anyone tell me I can't be a hero, not anymore."

He knew she would want him to keep moving forward, to keep chasing his dreams. He wasn't going to disappoint her. Not ever.

"So, Bakugou," Izuku stated and forcefully wrenched his arm away from his grip, pulling it free. Bakugou stumbled forward a little before looking at him in angry shock.

"I think it's time you accept that." He finally said, and turned his back to his childhood friend.

 **XXX**

Deku. _Deku_. Dekudekudekudekudeku- that shitty nerd!

Who the hell did he think he was? Who the hell was he to stand up to Katsuki like that? Him? Change? That wimpy, smart-ass, untalented little nerd? No way in hell!

Deku would never be anything more than Deku. Why try even? He was obviously going to fail horribly, it was as plain as day!

Then why? Where did all of this confidence come from? Since when was he able to talk back to Katsuki? When did he stop running away?

Since when did he start to change?

Katsuki wasn't blind. He saw how different Deku was. His hair that was always long, curly and floppy was shorter and fresher. His unusually pale skin was darker, tanner, and the weak noodles that were once his arms were a little more muscled. The slouch in his back was gone along with the quiver in his voice.

Fucking Deku was changing. He was changing right in front of Katsuki's eyes and he hated it with every ounce of his being.

And he damn knew why.

It was her. That irritating as hell, bright eyed, stupid-ass Uraraka Ochako. It was all her fault. She was the one that barged in uninvited. She didn't just turn his world upside down, no; she crushed it to little bits with her fiery kicks and attitude.

He hated her. He hated her and that shitty nerd.

But he couldn't hurt her anymore. He couldn't even try because she was buried in the ground without a trace of her former self left.

She was the first one that told him he would never be a hero. She was the first one that ever had the guts to stand up to him. She was the one that changed Deku.

Damn it. Deku, fucking Deku thought he could turn his back on him? Deku thought that he was the only one who could change?

He'd prove them wrong. If Deku was going to get stronger, than all Katsuki had to do was get even better. If round face told him he couldn't be a hero, than he'd be the fucking best hero in the entire world.

Bakugou Katsuki was a person who'd always get what he wanted.

He'd make sure of it. He wouldn't let anything slip past his fingers.

 _Not anymore._

 **XXX**

Shouto was slurping his cold soba as Izuku sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by Natsuo and Fuyumi.

It was the weekends and Shouto could finally take a break from Endeavor. The number two hero was going to stay in his headquarters because of an unsolved villain attack, which had been happening a lot for the past few months. Most of the victims were people associated with the underground, shady people who did business that Shouto didn't need to think about. While it was a great thing that Endeavor was gone for the weekends, Shouto was definitely going to be the target of his father's pent up stress when he returned. That was something he wasn't looking forward to. The burn on his stomach hadn't even healed properly yet.

Izuku was over for the first time in a while. Fuyumi was happy to see him as always, and since it was the first time Natsuo met his best friend, he was excited as well. The white haired brother kept asking Izuku questions about Shouto and how they hung out, while his friend was trying his best to answer all of them.

"Does he still eat soba at your house?"

"Ah, yes he does! He even brings some of it over sometimes!"

"Really? I never knew he was that into it… Damn, I really need to brush up! It's been years since I finally got to talk to him, you know! A-ah, wait, forget I said that!"

"It's okay Natsu-nii." Shouto called out, swallowing his food. "He knows. I told him."

Natsuo looked at him in surprise. "Really? Wow," His look melted into one of warm affection. "Hehe, looks like you trust him a lot! I'm really happy for you, Shouto!"

"Natsu! Stop bombarding the poor boy with questions!" Fuyumi chided softly, although her tone was warm as well. "You're going to overwhelm him. Izuku-kun is a really nice boy; I wouldn't want you to scare him off!"

"Hey! I'm not that pushy!" Natsuo pouted as Izuku waved his arms around. "I-it's really no bother! I don't mind talking to Natsuo-san at all!"

"Aww, thanks Izuku!"

Shouto smiled and let out a small chuckle. It was nice seeing his family interact with his friend, he mused. It was a peaceful time that he would rarely experience in the household, so he definitely wanted to get the most out of it.

"So," Shouto put his bowl on the table and stood up. "Since we have a lot of time, why don't we watch the movie together?"

"Ooh, you mean the action movie you rented before?" Natsuo perked up. "Really? It's okay with you two?"

"You don't have to feel obliged," Fuyumi added a little worriedly. "We don't mind if you two want to watch it together."

"I think it's a great idea!" Izuku smiled encouragingly. "I-I'd like to spend time with Shouto-kun's family too, since we don't see each other too often…"

"Alright then! Come on Fuyumi, I think we still have some ice cream and left over popcorn from last night!" Natsuo shouted and darted towards the kitchen, where Fuyumi followed.

"Last night?" Izuku tilted his head and blinked at Shouto.

"Nee-san is going to U.A. for her teaching practice soon. Natsu-nii and her had a small party, but Endeavor was here yesterday so I couldn't join them." He explained, feeling a little irritated at the fact that he missed hanging out with his siblings.

"Oh," Izuku looked a little sad, but Shouto quickly added, "Don't make that face. It's not your fault or anything."

"I know, I know, but I just…" Izuku trailed off and his eyebrows pushed against each other. Shouto looked at him.

"What's wrong? You're making a difficult face."

"Hm? Ah! Sorry, I was just wondering…" Izuku hesitated a bit. "Shouto-kun, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you told me you had three siblings?"

Shouto blinked, a little taken aback. He then pondered a bit and tried to dig up what little memories he had of them. "I…I do. There's Nee-san and Natsu-nii, and I think I had an older brother. He's older than Nee-san, but I don't really remember anything about him. I only talked to him once, when I was three…I think. To be honest, I don't even remember how he looks like." He furrowed his eyebrows. "He's the eldest, so he's supposed to take over the house. Fuyumi told me that he was training to be the heir, and had to go somewhere far away. America, I think?"

"Oh, I see," Izuku visibly relaxed. "It's too bad though. I really wanted to meet all of your family."

Shouto smiled a little wishfully as well. "Yeah, I wish we both could."

"So," Izuku shifted closer to him. "Fuyumi-san's going to teach at U.A?"

"Yeah, for a month. She's going to be teaching a general studies class."

"Oh! That's cool! I wonder what kind of people are there in U.A?"

"I don't know. We could always get in and see for ourselves."

Izuku chuckled a little sadly. "I wish, but even I know how hard it is to pass the exam without a quirk."

Shouto frowned and faced him. "Don't give up. You never know what could happen."

Izuku paused a bit and opened his mouth, but Natsuo's voice interrupted him. "Hey guys! Found the food! Can you two get the movie ready since Fuyumi's going to cook something?"

"Alright!" Shouto called back and stood up, offering his hand to Izuku. He smiled at him. "Come on, let's go."

Izuku smiled back. There was a small light of hesitant hope in his eyes. "Ok."

He reached up, took his hand, and they both made their way to the living room.

 **XXX**

"What do you even like about that show anyway?" Blister asked, standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets.

"It's a show about friends, Blister-kun!" Alter pouted as she snuggled closer to me. "It's fun to watch!"

"I'm learning about American culture." I stated blankly, chewing on some beef jerky. "I'm also eating American food for good measure."

"Uh-huh." Blister raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He pushed himself off of the door frame and walked towards the bar where Haze was wiping a glass. "Anyway, Haze, give me a bottle of rum. I need for something."

Haze paused in his movements. "Not for consuming, I hope?"

"I'm not going to drink," Blister said, a little annoyed.

"It's kind of surprising that Haze-san cares about stuff like that," Alter giggled beside me. "We're all villains after all!"

"I'm your caretaker. I'm supposed to stop the three of you from doing anything…reckless and non-profitable." Haze grabbed a bottle from under the counter and brought it up. "I do hope you're not going to blow up the building again."

"I didn't blow it up," Blister grumbled as he swiped the bottle off the counter. "It combusted while ignoring my will. There wasn't even that much damage."

"The entire second floor was charred," I said, still chewing on that particular piece of meat. "It smelled like rotten eggs."

"For two weeks!" Alter hummed and manifested a small grin.

Blister let out a small scoff and proceeded to walk out through the door in the back, but I remembered a small detail at that exact moment.

"Blister," I called out. "Do not go into the infirmary room. There is someone sleeping in there."

"What?" He paused at the door and tilted his head to look back.

"Oh yeah! There was a guy moaning and groaning in the front of the bar this morning! He was holding his head while screaming a lot. He was being noisy so I knocked him out and brought him in!" Alter finished giddily, her canine tooth glinting in the light.

Blister gave us both a deadpan look. I continued to fix my gaze on the television screen. It was the moment when Ross said Rachel's name at the altar instead of Emily. Alter squealed when that moment came and started to shake me back and forth with girlish laughter.

The two people living with me were strange. Blister, who I guessed to be a lazy teen, was a smart person who tinkered with dangerous stuff for additional weapons. He had no qualms about killing or stealing, and he was much wittier and good at lying than I was. Alter, who I thought was a homicidal girl, was a homicidal girl who was good at sharp objects. She had a penchant for cutting and slicing, but was also surprisingly girly and enjoyed relatively non-bloody activities as well. She was the happiest when we watched a horror show about a serial killer though.

I felt weird, living with two people I barely knew. We weren't family, we weren't connected by anything strong, but we worked…surprisingly well together on missions. I was the swiftest and least messy, Alter was the intimidation factor, and Blister was the one that slipped in and stole while also acting as the occasional hazard bringer.

 _It's fun,_ the voice inside my head hummed. _It's not bad. Not at all._

"Why would you take in a crazy guy?"

"It seemed alright at the time! I wasn't really thinking." Alter pouted and slipped her knife out of its pouch, fiddling with it as she enjoyed the gleam it produced.

Blister sighed and went back to his room. Haze continued wiping another glass.

I took another piece of jerky from the packet on the table.

 **XXX**

Izuku gripped the straps of his yellow backpack. His red shoes were shiny and brand new. His hair was combed to the best of his abilities, although shorter and less messy, it was still hard because of the natural perm. His black gakuran was clean, he was twelve going to be thirteen this year, and it was his first year of junior high.

It was going to happen. The next three years would be dedicated to solely prepare him for the high school entrance exam.

It took him a while, but he finally decided where he wanted to go.

U.A. He wanted to go to U.A.

It wasn't going to be easy. It was going to be harder than anything he'd ever do. Training with Shouto would have to be bumped up to a whole new level, and he would have to study hard for the written test as well.

Three years. He only had three years left.

He sucked in a deep breath and walked forward, unaware of the piercing red stare aimed at his back.

 **XXX**

"So, you're a…mafia group?"

"Independent group of a mafia group." I said. "We just… do our thing, I suppose. We haven't done much either than the occasional missions that boss gives us yet."

"We're not good guys, that's for sure." Blister muttered.

"So…a league of villains?" The masked man tilted his head.

"…Let's go with that." Blister nodded. Alter's eyes twinkled.

"Ooh, I like that! Let's name our group that! Don't you think, Zero-chan?"

"…Not cool. Totally rad, bro." The mask moved a little, and I realized that the man was smiling.

"So, League of Villains?" I said out loud later as Blister flipped through a random magazine.

"…I guess so." He nonchalantly replied.

"Ooh, what about his code name? He says he doesn't have a home to go back to anyway!" Alter added in, her elbows rested on the bar counter as she laid her face between her hands.

"Are we just going to pick up strays for new members?" Blister lifted his gaze from the magazine to look at me.

"That's how we all met, technically." I sipped my water.

"That's how you met _her_."

"You were not a part of the family, therefore, a stray."

"Soo, what are we going to call him?!"

"May I suggest Double?" Haze said, putting down another spotless glass.

Simple enough, I thought.

"A little dull," Alter pondered. "But it could work!"

Blister sighed. "Whatever. I'm not going to care anymore."

 **XXX**

"SO! What's my first mission?!" The newly named, newly joined Double exclaimed excitedly, looking at the three of us in the lobby.

"We received one from boss this morning," I said, rummaging my pockets. I pulled out a small, crumpled letter and begun to open it.

"Ooh! A new mission! I was getting bored!" Alter cheered and swung her knife around happily. Blister shifted away from her and pointed his lidded gaze at me.

"Boss wants us to…form an alliance?" I tilted my head, blinking surprisingly at the sheet of paper.

"What? An alliance?" Alter hopped off her seat and looked over my shoulder, her yellow eyes scanning the letter. Blister did the same, and Double followed. Soon, the entire league was reading over each other's shoulder.

"The Hibiki family?" Double frowned in confusion.

… _Hibiki?_

"I've heard of them a few times," Blister commented. "A super secret family of hit-mans."

"A biggie in the underworld? Maybe that's why Zero-chan's boss wants us become friends with them!"

"Ooh, new friends?! That's awesome! So not into it!" Double cheered along with Alter.

… _Hibiki._

As Alter and Double were excitedly chatting with each other, their voices faded into the background as I continued staring at the paper. There was something…strange. I felt like I was missing a piece of a puzzle. What was this strange feeling? Have I heard of the name somewhere?

"Zero."

I blinked and looked up to see Blister looking down at me.

"…You keep staring at the letter. Give it to me so I can burn it." He outstretched his hand. My gaze lingered at the name 'Hibiki' once more before handing it over. His fingers sparked a little, a small blue fire slowly burning the paper to ashes.

My head ached a little. My chest felt strangely hollow.

I clenched my fist softly and headed to my room to get ready.

 **XXX**

"Miss."

"Yes?"

"We've received information that a few people are on their way. It appears to be a group of four, two males and two females."

"Hm? Did we have an appointment scheduled this afternoon?"

"Yes. They call themselves the 'League of Villains'. They are most likely the group that Overhaul mentioned in his letter."

"…I see."

A small creak of wood and the sounds of footsteps sounded out.

"Call the council. We have some business to attend to."

"Understood."

* * *

 **Hey hey. Timeskip chapter.**

 **So, the main kids are twelve, going to be thirteen now. Izuku is at his canon junior high, Katsuki is still being a Katsuki, Shouto is still being home-schooled, and Ochako/Zero is going to have some revelations next chapter.**

 **The League of Villains is officially formed, and we start off with a robot, an edgy teen, a psycho and a duo personality dude plus a bartender. What a group.**

 **Eri! Eri! Only a small bit, but Eri!**

 **Yes. The Hibiki family. I don't know if anyone picked up on the hints in the earlier chapters, but yes, Fuyuka is part of the underground. Or was until she married Enji. Now she's back in, and she's going to have the surprise of her life soon!**

 **We are finally heading into the canon story! Finally!**

 **See you next time and thank you, my dear readers.**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	20. Chapter 19: Turning wheels: Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own MHA (BHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 19: Turning wheels: Part 1**

It was cold.

It was horribly cold.

I was regretting not bringing a jacket.

Blister looked fine, but that was to be expected. Alter was shivering slightly and rubbing her hands up and down her arms while Double was jogging in place rapidly.

"So…This is the place?!" Double's teeth chattered. "Looks like a blazing inferno to me!"

"It's soooo cold!" Alter complained. "Why is it snowing? Why is the ground frozen? It's not even winter yet!"

"The Hibiki family is known for their ice quirks." Blister held out a hand and a blue fire came to life. Alter and Double quickly made their way over to him and held their palms out to the fire.

I silently moved to stand next to him.

The Hibiki family mansion. It stood alone on an island filled with nature; most of it being covered in snow or frozen. It was not too far from Japan, but it was not registered on the map of Japan as well. Although the family name was apparently quite known in the underground, only a few selected members knew where their headquarters were, and Boss happened to be one of them.

Now safely at our destination with the help of Haze, the four of us were limited to knocking on the Japanese style mansion gates while we waited outdoors. The sky was gray and filled with clouds that rained with white snowflakes, and most of the forest path we walked on was covered with thick blankets of snow as well. The suit I was wearing was made out of material resistant to heat and cold, but it was cold enough for me to want an extra layer. Alter was wearing a female student's uniform she stole the other day with only a navy sweater to keep her warm, and Double was wearing a full body, black and white spandex suit. Both unfitted for extremely cold weather.

"Still, how much longer do we have to wait here?" Blister looked up at the mansion.

"Can't Blister-kun just burn the gates down?" Alter complained. Double nodded furiously as his teeth chattered. I slowly edged away from the scarred man. Blister rolled his eyes and the fire in his palm flickered harshly-

"Well, if ya did that, we wouldn't have a place to live in, won't we?" A voice sung out from behind, and I spun around to meet the end of a scythe. I jumped away quickly and got into a defensive form, the edge of the blade barely scraping my nose. The other three scattered and surrounded the scythe wielder, forming a circle. Blister narrowed his eyes, his blue flames activated in his palm while Alter already had her knife out. Double was in a form similar to mine, albeit, a little more awkwardly and unused to it.

"Who're you?" Blister asked, a small growl in his voice.

"You laid a hand on Zero-chan…" Alter murmured under her breath, her yellow eyes glinting. "I can cut you up right? I'm sure you'll look cute with all the blood on you!" A small blush took over her face.

"Hey, hey, what's your deal with us? What've we done to you?!" Double yelped.

"Eh, you're not supposed to be here, aren't ya? Kids aren't supposed to know this place," The scythe wielder cackled lightly, and I scanned their appearance. From the tone of the voice and structure, they seemed to be a male. He was tall; he looked taller than Blister, and was wearing a black hood over his head. In his hand was a scythe bigger than any weapon I had seen so far, and he swung it around casually as if it was a toy.

"We've been sent here by the Shie Hassaikai," I said in a neutral voice. "We're the League of Villains."

He cocked his head. "Never heard those names before. Not that I really care, since everyone I remember outside of the house is already dead, haha!" He brought up a hand and pulled down his hood to reveal messy, white hair and black eyes. A white scar crossed his face, starting at his left cheek while going over the nose to end at his right.

"So, what're you doing here? Are ya intruders? If you are, I'm the one cutting you up today," His eyes glinted mischievously as he grinned maniacally at Alter, whose grin turned into a frown at that.

"Like that midget over there said, we've been sent by a mafia family. Apparently, we need to form an alliance with you," Blister spoke, the flame in his hand wavering in the wind. "A letter should've been sent here earlier."

"Hmm, hmm, I think auntie told me that on the phone a few minutes earlier," He hummed. "But unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the group she told me! Since there's a chance you're lying, no hard feelings?" A scythe came flying my way, and I activated my quirk to jump up into the trees, narrowly avoiding the thrown weapon. The scythe embedded itself on the bark of the tree.

Blister blasted the man with his quirk, but he was quick to dodge the harsh blue flames, pulling out another knife as a weapon. Unfortunately for him, Alter had anticipated where he would move next and appeared in front of him, her knife positioned to stab him in the gut. The man was fast however, and managed to disarm the blonde with his weapon with a quick flick of his own. He was going to drive his knife into her, but was interrupted by a clone of Double jumping in front of her and taking the hit, disappearing into a pile of grayish goo. It allowed Alter to retreat backwards and draw another knife, this time one with jagged edges, but the man drew another one too, wielding double blades.

I could try to get close to him, but he was fast. The drawback I had to my quirk was that I needed to touch my opponent, and it didn't seem like I could get close to him easily. I considered uprooting a tree nearby to use as a throwing weapon, but before I could react, a cold hand touched my shoulder and something was pressed to my neck.

"Shh," A quiet voice whispered next to me. "Don't scream."

I looked to my right to see a boy around my age. He had the same snow white hair and black eyes as the man attacking us, but his face was blank like mine. His eyes were focused on the fight happening below us, but I could tell he was hyper aware of my presence as well.

"You said you're the League of Villains right?" His voice was cold and thin, like ice. "You're the leader? Auntie told me that's what the letter said."

"So you do know us," I replied in the same tone I used earlier. "I assume you and that man are members of the Hibiki?"

"Yes, we are," He nodded his head. "You're wondering why he is attacking you, am I right?"

"Yes, we have not burned down your front gates after all."

"You didn't, but we're tight with security. If those three can impress my half-brother, we shall let you pass."

Half-brother. So they were siblings.

"What about me?"

"You passed my test." He retracted his hand, and I saw a needle being tucked into his pocket. He then sat beside me, his movements quick and quiet. I watched him to see if he would make any sudden movements, but returned my gaze to the battle below soon after. He was sincere, he didn't seem like he would turn his weapons on me anytime soon.

Alter and Double were having a hard time. The spandex clad man was panting as he used his measuring tape to guard the blade's attacks, obviously not used to battle yet. Alter was trying hard to get in close to him, but he was faster than she was with two knives in his hands. He was keeping her at a distance that wasn't too close or too far. Since the two were in his range of fire, Blister was unable to do much but stare irritatingly at the three.

If the Hibiki were famous for ice, then Blister would be the biggest threat of all. It seemed like the man knew that though, and kept sticking close to the two of them. What seemed to bother me the most was that…I couldn't do anything. The boy next to me implied that only the three of them were supposed to fight them, and I couldn't join in the fight. That was most likely why he aimed the scythe at me first, to lure me into meeting the one who would give me his test.

I saw Alter's eyes flash towards my supposed position in the trees, her yellow orbs pleading for help.

…However, he did not blatantly say I couldn't do anything. If he was to get his point across clearer, he should have told me.

I used my quirk on the thick branch next to me, snapped it off, and threw it at the tall man while disabling it mid-way.

The branch was too unexpected for him to react in time, but Alter and Double were able to jump out of the way as it smacked into him. Blister did not miss this moment. His hand activated with the blue flames immediately and he threw a fiery blast at his opponent. The heat the blast created melted all the snow around them in an instant, charring the ground. When the flames were gone, only a burning branch was left in its wake.

The man was gone. His body wasn't there, so he wasn't dead.

The tree the boy and I were in shook slightly. I looked straight down to see the man pulling his scythe out from the bark. He was grinning widely as he did so, but I saw a part of his hair was black and burnt, as well a part of his hoodie. Blister did get him, only a little bit though.

It seemed like Blister, Alter and Double realized this fact too, and Alter and Double retreated to Blister's side. They each took their own stance and glared warily at the man, but all he did was laugh loudly and put his hand to his forehead.

"Ohhh, that was goood. Hey, little one in the trees, you threw that, didn't ya? Good shot!" He praised gleefully, his black eyes shining with excitement. He turned around to face the other three, and pointed a finger at them. "You! The chick with blonde hair! Your movements were solid for a blade wielder, very good! And you! Mask man! You're still not used to fighting, but you're brave and fearless! Good for you!"

He paused for a second before a big grin spread across his face. "And blasty boy! You're ruthless, but ain't heartless! Amazing!"

I felt as if I have been doing nothing but meet psychos ever since I recruited Blister.

I heard the boy beside me sigh and jump down, revealing his self to my comrades. I followed him and plopped down to the ground gracefully. Alter rushed over to me as soon as she saw me and threw her arms around me.

"Zero-chan! Are you okay? You're still bleeding!" She looked at my nose and I tried to look at it in failure. She stuck her tongue out and licked my nose, but I wasn't sure what she was talking about until I saw her tongue and the slight blood on it.

Huh.

She looked happier after that, so I let her be. Blister and Double walked over to us, the former still wary and on guard while the latter was dragging his feet slightly, looking tired.

"Alter-chan! I'm fine too! My feet are killing me!" Double complained, or so I think he did. "Zero, thanks! You really helped out! We could've still done it without you!"

"So!" The taller man clapped his hands together to get out attention. "You all passed! Now, are ya are gonna stand there or are ya coming in?"

"Coming in? Passed?" Blister bristled a little before his shoulders sagged. "So it was a test. Should've known. Nothing is straight laced in the mafia."

"We're killers, not Mafioso." The shorter boy said, his tone blank as his eyes. "We don't do anything other than killing."

"And that is supposed to be better? Not that we can complain!" Double crossed his arms.

"Alright, alright, let's just get moving, huh? By the way, the name's Reito, and the little one's Kogori! Nice to meet'cha! Now Kou, open the gates!" The man said cheerfully and turned his back to us, swinging his scythe merrily. The boy called Kogori dipped his head and gestured for us to follow them.

We exchanged glances with each other.

"Soo, are we following them?" Alter cocked her head, untangling herself from me.

"We have no choice," I replied.

The four of us followed after the two of them. To our surprise, we did not head for the main gates; instead, we were led to a smaller entrance beside them. It was simple and not as grand, but that was probably what the person who built them was trying to do.

Kogori put his hand on the door, and frost appeared on the wood. The frost spread until it covered the entire door, and a click sounded. He then opened the door and gestured for us to enter, the taller one already heading in. We followed.

The inside of the mansion was a traditional Japanese building. It was big, made out of wood and creaked at almost every step, signifying its age. Double and Alter commented on almost everything, to the frost covering the walls to the snowflakes decorating the ceiling. Blister was quiet and observant as he stuck close to me, and I spent my time looking at the two males in front of us.

Reito was not swinging his scythe anymore; instead he tucked it under his armpit as he walked while whistling a tune. Kogori was silent and made no useless movements, moving quietly even on the creaking wood. It was hard to imagine the taller Hibiki as a killer if you got rid of the scythe, but Kogori seemed like the perfect one for the job.

They stopped in front of a door. We mimicked their movements as they turned around. Kogori bowed slightly.

"This is where we leave. You must enter and speak with the council. They are waiting."

"Good luck not dying!" Reito waved at us cheerfully. "But auntie's a softie, so ya'll should be fine. See ya!"

Kogori frowned softly as he left with his taller sibling. "Auntie is not a 'softie'." I heard him mutter as they walked away.

"She totally is, ya auntie-con!" Reito's sharp cackle faded into distance.

I reached out towards the fusuma, but paused in mid-way to look back at the three behind me. They looked back at me in question.

"…Are all of you okay?" I asked quietly, feeling a strange tickling in my chest. "We can rest if the fight took too much out of you."

They looked surprised. Blister's eyes were as wide open as they could get, Alter's hand flew to her mouth while Double was unusually at lost for words. It was Alter who moved first. She walked up to me and put her hands on my shoulders, the shocked look fading into a happy one.

"Zero-chan, we're fine." She cooed softly. "Thank you for worrying."

Worrying?

…I was worried?

Blister let out a small cough and stuffed his hands into his pockets, his turquoise eyes swimming a little before meeting mine. "We're fine, midget."

"Yeah, yeah, it was thanks to you and Blister in the end! We're totally pumping! We need a break!" Double swung his hands around to express his emotions.

So…that was the identity of the itch in my chest. I was worried, for them.

It made…sense, I supposed.

I nodded and moved to open the door, but Alter put her hand on top of mine. She grinned at me when I looked at her in question. "Let's do it together, Zero-chan! Our first mission as the League of Villains!"

"Hell yeah! Let's do it alone!" Double put his hand on the other side of the fusuma, and we all turned our heads to look at our last remaining member.

Blister looked like he had swallowed a porcupine, but he grudgingly joined us and put his hand under Double's.

We pulled them open, and a cold breeze enveloped us.

 **XXX**

Hibiki (Todoroki) Fuyuka had a big family. She had children she loved deeply, but couldn't meet with for various reasons for a long time. She had sisters, brothers, cousins, nephews, nieces; she had almost every family member you could ever name, although they were born in this world for the sole reason of killing. The Hibiki family had always been a family of assassins for as long as she could remember, and as a child, she saw nothing wrong with it.

When she was pulled out of that world, she realized how horrible her home actually was. Children were not children, they were seen as tools. Adults used each other for their own gain, and never hesitated on spilling blood even if their opponent was a family member. That was why when she returned, she tried to change that fact. She gave her student, her little nephew Kogori, love as he grew up, but the coldness of their home eventually turned him into a cold-hearted human. However, even then she had always shown him love, and was happy when she saw it being reciprocated. It gave her hope. She only wished she could've given his half-brother Reito the same, but he was kept away with a different teacher.

She was a mother, from the top of her head to the ends of her feet.

Which was why when she saw them, she felt her blood freeze.

The League of Villains was nothing more than a group made of children, she realized. But that wasn't the only reason. Surrounded by the other higher ranking members of her family with her in the middle, Fuyuka could only stare in shock.

The girl in the middle, the girl with white hair and faded pink cheeks, the girl with faded, familiar milky brown eyes-

 _No. No, it couldn't be._

She felt frost, colder than any other in the room spread under her. She felt the air around her drop several degrees, her hands shaking as she folded them on her lap. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

… _Ochako?_

Her eyes drifted to the others. To her left, was a blonde girl who was shivering obviously. Her hair was tied up in messy twin buns, and her yellow eyes were darting around the room. The spandex clad man was also shaking because of the cold, but it was hard to tell his expression because of the mask.

What stood out to her most besides the white haired girl however, was a tall male standing next to her.

His hair was a jet black, black enough to be unnatural. There was a huge scar that covered the bottom half of his face and disappeared into his shirt. His shoulders were sagged, his hands in his pockets, but when his lidded eyes darted up to meet hers, all Fuyuka could think was _blue_ before his widened in response, and he froze.

She had seen that shade of blue before. A blue that she was all too familiar with.

"…Blister?" The white haired girl spoke out softly, and Fuyuka was struck with another wave of emotion. Her _voice_ , it was the same as she remembered, but it was so blank, so cold, _what happened?_

"It…It's fine," She heard the man named 'Blister' breathe out and his shoulders tensed, his voice hardening to hide the waver in them. "It's okay. Just get on with it."

"…Okay." Ochako, she was positive it was her, looked at Fuyuka directly in the eye, and she felt like she was suffocating.

"My name is Zero, and I am the leader of the League of Villains," She announced smoothly, her gaze drifting around all the people around her before going back to Fuyuka's. "We, in the name of the Shie Hassaikai, are here to form an alliance with you."

"We have heard," Her elder brother, who sat next to her, hummed. "Please, take a seat in the middle. It must have been hard, fighting my children."

The blonde girl furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth, but 'Blister' smacked a hand over it and sent her a warning look. Her eyes narrowed as she frowned, but lightly pushed the taller man's hand away and crossed her arms. The four of them shared another look between them and sat down, their feet squeaking a little. Fuyuka felt her heart clench.

"So, an alliance, hmm?" Her cousin tapped her finger on her chin. "I do not see the point of it. The Shie Hassaikai is surely able to manage on its own devices, and we have no benefit in helping you. So tell me, why?"

"The Shie Hassaikai has connections in many places," Zero spoke, her tone level and calm.

"So do we," Her sister countered, her eyebrows furrowing. "The Hibiki name is nothing to laugh at. Not many know our home, but we have many, many people in different places."

"The Shie Hassaikai is currently more invested in a certain scientific project, and we require assistance for guarding the information and getting rid of the ones who may be after it," Zero continued, her eyes blank, but for some reason, her eyes hadn't moved from Fuyuka's, and if it were any other person, they wouldn't have been able to detect the faint quiver in her voice.

"If you agree to the alliance, 25% of the money we make will be your reward," Blister added in smoothly, his blue eyes darting over to Zero before looking at the others in the room. "We know that you are currently short of it."

"And how would you know that, boy?" Her elder cousin snapped, his tone almost a growl.

"Because we are the reasons," A small smirk took over the male's face. "We have been getting rid of your customers back and forth for the past few months, am I wrong? You are all merely assassins, you do not do anything more than that. You do not participate in the black market, nor do you attend any sort of event. Your income comes from your clients, and now that they are gone, you must be in need for more, am I wrong?"

"Hold your tongue, brat." Her sister bristled, a cold wind in the room starting to blow. "Show some respect to your elders."

"We do not know you that well, therefore, it is irrational to show you automatic respect just because you are older," Zero stated. "We are on equal grounds here, from one killer to another."

Her cousin bristled. "You-"

"We do not accept your alliance," Fuyuka announced, standing up. Immediately, every pair of eyes was directed towards her. "Your point is still invalid; we have enough connections to make money out of. You may need our assistance, but we do not. Please take your leave."

The group was quiet for a while, but Zero broke the silence. "Well then, I am sorry to hear that. We shall excuse ourselves."

The four rose to their feet, and exited the door. The council members started to talk amongst each other, but Fuyuka had something else to do. She exited from the back door before anyone approached her, and took after the direction the League of Villains went, a million thoughts rushing through her mind.

She heard them before she saw them.

"HA! Rejected! That's priceless, but eh, at least ya didn't die!" The familiar laugh of her nephew entered her ears. She paused, sticking to the wall to listen in on their conversation.

"We failed," Zero's voice came next. "Boss will be displeased."

"Eh, so you're gonna die anyway?"

"We're not going to die!" An unfamiliar voice of a girl echoed. The blonde girl popped into her mind. "But Zero-chan…Zero-chan will get hurt, won't you?"

"I'll be fine," There was a pause. "I'll…be okay."

"Hey, hey! I'm new, but I even know that crow guy is totally safe in the head!"

"Isn't that contradictory?" Kogori's icy voice was a relief to her ears.

"Not yet," Blister muttered. "Not yet. Our mission can't be done yet. There has to be something else we can do."

"What can ya do?"

She took this as her cue.

"You can convince me," Fuyuka spoke, stepping out of the shadows to face the children. Zero immediately took a step back. Blister froze while the other two looked at her in surprise. Reito grinned widely at her while Kogori's lips twitched.

"I am the head of the council," She continued. "You may call me…"

The words written on that, _godforsaken_ letter flashed in her mind as she finally realized what it meant.

' _You may see a familiar face, but do not use your name. If you do, I guarantee that you will not lose only one child, Silverglaze.'_

"…Rei," She finished, her lips pressed tightly against each other.

One day, she swore. One day, that wrenched man would pay for his crimes against her family.

 **XXX**

I did not understand.

That woman, that woman with the long, silvery white hair and coal black eyes, she said to convince her. She said to prove our strength. She said to prove our worth to her.

We ended up having to fight Kogori and Reito once again. I was pitched against the smaller Hibiki while Blister was picked by the taller one. Rei had just sat on the sidelines quietly, watching us. Alter and Double had cheered loudly for the both of us, which sent another wave of ticklish nerves in me.

Kogori was fast. He was nimble and although he was not that physically strong, he made it up with his swiftness and quick thinking. He was like me, in more ways than one. There were times when I felt uneasy, looking at him however. His face looked familiar. His power, his quirk, it allowed him to freeze anything. He used it to freeze water vapor the most, launching ice spears at me in mid-air more often than I could count. His quirk, his appearance, there was something so pain staking familiar about him, but I couldn't tell what it was. I ended up beating him by using his ice creations against him, although it was merely by sheer luck.

Reito was more strength than speed, not to say he wasn't fast as well. Him and Blister danced around each other, the flame user blasted at the ice walls while ice maker maneuvered around the flames. They manage to hurt each other fatally at one point; Reito had put his hand on Blister's eyes and ice burned him while Blister burned the skin of the arm off of the Hibiki. It ended in a tie, both of them writhing in pain on the ground while Rei rushed to their side with a first aid-kit.

The injuries they had most likely required them to go to the hospital, but being the people we were, we could not. Rei had patched them up to the best of her abilities while Alter and Double fretted over Blister, who shook them off and followed Reito to the healing room in the mansion in the end. All I could do was silently watch the happenings in front of me.

Rei. Kogori. Hibiki. Why did they feel so familiar? What was this ache in my chest? Why was my head starting to pound?

Rei had white hair, coal black eyes and held herself with grace. The black kimono she wore fitted her perfectly, and the worried look in her eyes when she nursed Blister and Reito was stuck in my mind. She looked like…like a mother. Like someone…I should…know.

There were a few things that came out of this whole mission. We didn't get a full alliance, but both Kogori and Reito offered to help us. They would not help the Shie Hassaikai as the council refused to, but they would make an alliance with the League of Villains instead. It was a secret promise signed by Rei.

Blister got a new burn to match the one on his neck, except this time, it covered his eyes. He could see fine though, he told me, but he had been acting strangely ever since. There were times when he would squint more than often, so I suspected it was a lie.

I discovered the weird ticklish, emotions that started to form in me. It apparently meant that I was worried for my comrades. …I wonder when was it that I started to refer to them as so.

But most of all, when Hibiki Rei approached me at the gates, sent me a shaky, teary smile and wrapped her arms around me, the faint pain in my head increased tenfold, and I before I realized it, I was back in my room with Haze tending to me.

There was something wrong, off with this situation. …I…knew that woman. But…who was she? What purpose did she hold in my life?

Why did I felt like I was missing something very, very important?

 **XXX**

"They failed in their mission, Boss," Chronostasis reported to him, his head dipped.

Overhaul tapped his finger on his thigh as he spoke, "Anything else?"

"They came into contact with Todoroki Fuyuka, who has now decided to call herself Hibiki Rei. Her and her two nephews, Hibiki Reito and Kogori have decided to form their own alliance with the League of Villains, as they refer to themselves as now."

Overhaul felt a smirk creep onto his face, the lower half of it hidden behind his mask. "So, the results are more than I expected them to be."

"Yes, Boss."

Perhaps that man was really telling the truth about her, Overhaul mused to himself. That that young girl was not originally of this world, that her little, abnormal essence to this world would be the spark that ignited the flame.

His plan was moving. He swore that he would get everything he wanted in the end; for the family, for the man who saved his life. Nothing was going to stand in his way.

"Kronos, I'm going to visit Eri."

"Yes, Boss. What about the other experiment?"

"The other scientists should be working on that. It has been a while since we sent the first one out to Todoroki Shouto, I do hope that they've made enough progress. Have they decided a name?"

"…They've decided to call it a 'Noumu'."

"Very well. Now, if you may excuse me."

 _Step, step. Click._

 **XXX**

* * *

There it was again.

The same place, the same girl.

She was there. She was holding her head in a white room, all alone. She was not crying, but he could tell. Her heart was always visible, always clear, but this was not her.

Why? He wanted to scream, shout, and tear the white off of the walls. Why are you showing me this? Why is it you?

She was sobbing. She was talking. I know her, I know him, I want to remember.

Remember what? He asked, pleading to know.

Everything, she wept. Give me back my life.

The ground groaned under him.

I know who you are, he screamed furiously. I don't want you in mine!

GIVE ME WHAT I DESERVE! She pleaded. GIVE ME WHO I AM!

The walls shook.

It became silent.

You. He then said. You don't belong there.

She kept on crying. He knew there was only one way to stop all of this.

'I'll destroy this shitty world.'

He put his nails on the white, white walls, and started to rip them off, one by one.

* * *

Bakugou Katsuki woke up in another fit of screaming, sweating and his head pounding. It was the 68th time in four years, and it was then that he realized that the memories, the guilt, and the pain never faded away no matter how hard he tried to ignore them.

He couldn't go on like this. He wasn't ten anymore. He was already fourteen; he should have been able to let it go already. The past was the past, snap out of it, he growled to himself countless times.

He needed to become the number one hero. He needed to push them away.

 _So stop coming back, Uraraka._

 **XXX**

 _People are not born equal._

 _That's the truth I learned at a young age. I would like to say that that was my first and last setback, but that would be a blatant lie. I've had much more setbacks than just one. I've lost my best friend, I've been put down and humiliated, and then when I think I'm finally free, everything comes crashing down on me and I lose the person who changed me for who I am now._

 _I probably will stumble upon many more trials than this, and I doubt that any of them will be any easier than before. But even then, I promise I will not give up._

 _Because she, who is my hero, would never give up. She would brave on with a smile, just like he would, and bulldoze through everything while being the best version of herself._

 _So, to honor your memory and my feelings for you, please let me borrow this, Ochako-chan._

 _My name is Midoriya Izuku. I am the most amazing, fantastically awesome 14 year old in the universe, and I will become the number one hero no matter what._

 _This is my story._

Izuku finished writing down his first entry of his new journal, and closed it with a click, a sad yet determined smile on his face. He looked at the cover of the book, and his smile changed into a prouder one. Shouto had stuck a soba sticker with the words 'Fight!' next to it. Izuku traced a finger over another sticker with of a bowl of sea food ramen, her favorite. He carefully put it back in his backpack.

He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled.

He then looked in the mirror in his room, pushed his cheeks up to mimic a wide smile, and said what he said every morning,

"I'm going now, Ochako-chan," He took his fingers off his face and his smile softened into a more genuine one. "Please watch over me."

He scooped up his huge yellow backpack and inserted an earphone into his ear while turning on the local radio. A certain news caught his attention, and Izuku knew what he was going to do.

"Mom! I'm going to check out the villain attack at Tatouin station before going to school!" He called, running to the door and putting on his shoes. He heard his mother worried call of 'Be careful, Izuku!' and replied with a cheerful reassurance before leaving his house.

He ran through the streets, careful of the traffic and splashing in the puddles a few times. He already had his notebook and pencil out, and he was ready when he approached the station. The villain was huge, he must have had a size quirk, and the hero fighting him was Kamui Woods, an uprising hero. Kamui Woods was a good hero, he wasn't money crazy like most, and was actually pretty nice and cool. He was definitely in the good zone for Izuku.

He didn't expect a hand settling on his shoulder though, and when he swung around, the slightly tired yet exasperated look of his best friend greeted him.

"Shouto-kun! What are you doing here?" He yelped, his eyes widening.

"I heard this morning's news, figured that you'd be here," His friend seemed a little out of breath. Since the boy was wearing a track suit, Izuku assumed that he was on his morning run. "Thought that I could drop by since I was on my morning run anyway."

"But isn't the city far from your house…?"

"It's fine," Shouto straightened. "I could use the extra exercise. So, who're you looking out for?"

"Oh, he's a hero named Kamui Woods! His quirk is really cool, and he's one of the popular uprising stars! Look, he's over there!" Izuku pointed to the figure on top of the station, and he recognized the pose that the young hero was taking.

It was his special move, and Izuku had front row seats to it.

He was already preparing to write it down, his pencil already touching the page of the notebook, but it was then when a giant lady popped out of nowhere, and with a strong kick, the huge villain was taken down in an instant.

The heroine only shifted her head to look at the people below her before smiling with lidded eyes, "Today's my debt! Pleased to meet you all, you can call me Mt. Lady!"

The crowd around them froze in surprise, before loud cheering exploded. Izuku was pushed to the side when a bunch of guys holding cameras starting taking pictures of the new heroine, but Shouto was there to catch him and pull him away.

"Woah, Shouto-kun, did you see that! Her quirk is a gigantification one, for sure! It's pretty common and powerful, but could the threat of destroying public property limit its use? Well, if she can't manipulate her size at will I guess it'll be less of a problem, but-" Izuku started muttering while he wrote notes, all the while being dragged by his feet as Shouto pulled on his backpack with a cool face.

"Izuku, don't you have school today?" It was Shouto who broke Izuku's mutter, and the green haired boy snapped to attention almost immediately.

"A-ah, you're right. Sorry, Shouto-kun, thanks for checking up on me! I'll see you later!" He flashed the taller boy a smile, and he reciprocated with one of his own.

"No problem, just be more careful. See you later."

After bidding goodbye to his friend, Izuku rushed to his junior high. He couldn't make it in time and was a little late to the morning assembly, but since that nobody paid much attention to him, he managed to slip into his seat quietly without anyone noticing. It was a good thing that his seat was the closest to the door.

"You guys are all third years now!" His homeroom teacher was shouting. Izuku just took out his grip builder and started using them under the desk.

"It's time to start thinking seriously about your futures! Normally, I would hand out these future career forms but…" The man paused for a dramatic moment before throwing those papers up in the air.

"I assume you all want to be heroes!"

In that moment of excitement, almost every student in his class started activating their quirk and cheered loudly. Izuku paid them no attention and recalled what training he was going to do with Shouto later in the afternoon.

"Yes, you all have wonderful quirks, but you know that it's against the rules to use them in school!"

For a second, Izuku could have sworn Bakugou twitched in his seat. Despite Izuku's daily prayers, he was stuck with Bakugou for the last year, but as usual, the blonde completely ignored Izuku. Or, attempted to. There were times when Izuku's eyes would meet Bakugou's, although the taller boy would always look away immediately. Those were the times that made Izuku's stomach churn with anxiousness.

He wasn't completely over Bakugou's bullying. He knew that the blonde was strong and smart, and he also knew that despite how he presented himself, he worked hard. He wasn't going to back down anymore of course, but it didn't mean that there weren't any times when he felt afraid of him.

He felt ashamed of himself when that happened. He shouldn't be scared of him; he should've been stronger than that. Time and effort would solve everything, he hoped.

Izuku let out a small sigh and continued gripping.

To his surprise, Bakugou didn't say anything, even when the teacher casually mentioned that he would be taking U.A.'s entrance exam. He just sat there silently with his brows furrowed immensely, his hands stuffed in his pockets with one leg on the desk. The students around him started to chatter about him, but he didn't show any signs of hearing them.

Then the teacher mentioned that Izuku would also be taking the U.A. exam, and the classroom became quiet. Before anyone could do anything however, there was a huge clatter and the sound of a chair falling to the floor. Izuku looked up to see Bakugou standing and looking at him with an intense glare from across the room.

The class was quiet. Nobody dared move before Bakugou, but he was just standing there with a terrifying look on his face as he stared at Izuku. Izuku didn't back down. Still gripping under the desk, he tried to shut down his nerves and stare blankly at the taller boy.

He was saved by the bell. The stare between them was broken when they looked away at the same time, and Izuku wiped the sweat off of his brow secretly.

The day flew by fast, and before he knew it, he was already thrusting everything he had into his bag and running out of the classroom before anyone could confront him about the morning events. He kept running, away from that building, away from everybody.

He let out a sigh when the school was out of sight, and he slumped against the tunnel wall. He had arrived at a small tunnel, the same tunnel he used to walk to school every day. It seemed like he had unconsciously taken the route back home.

"Well, I guess I have to backtrack now…" He muttered to himself, pushing off of the wall and walking. "I'm supposed to meet Shouto-kun at the playground in five…Oh god, what time is it now?!"

The manhole under him shook, and Izuku froze when a voice growled out, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. You're going to DIE HERE!"

Green slime gushed out and engulfed him.

* * *

 **This is not the end. This is just part one, because while I originally wanted to make this one chapter, it turned out to be too long, so I split it into two!**

 **The next chapter will have my full author's note!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	21. Chapter 20: Turning wheels: Part 2

**Warning: This is a double update, so read the chapter before if you haven't yet!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own MHA (BHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 20: Turning wheels: Part 2**

Water splashed out of the bucket as Tenko flung it at the cement floor. Putting the bucket back in the cart, he took the mop on it and started doing what every janitor of U.A. was supposed to do.

Clean the damn hallways marked with sweat, grit, and every kind of disgusting liquid served with justice with vigorous amounts of killer intent.

He had accepted the job roughly two years ago, and it still _sucked balls._ Granted, the pay wasn't bad, it was actually pretty damn good for a janitor (But then again, being the janitor of a school who tended to have training grounds everywhere definitely deserved that much), it wasn't like all the people were annoying (The mic guy was irritating because his voice grated on Tenko's nerves, the r rated woman always insisted on him attending their drinking parties, but at least Eraserhead left him alone, what a relief), but the little brats running around?

They gave him seizures. Couldn't they keep their garbage to themselves and stop destroying so much school property? He was the one getting rid of all the debris because his quirk was _that_ useful, and because it was _technically_ his job but still. He had a right to complain.

After graduating from high school, he'd never thought he'd ever be in one again. He thought his days of avoiding the 'popular kids' and staying away from kids in general were over.

Summarizing: life sucked, but he would suck it up for his parents. Urgh.

"Shimura-san! Shimura-san!"

And this was his cue. He slapped the mop back onto the cart and tried to wheel it away, but the blue haired brat had already caught up to him.

"Shimura-san! How are you doing today? Are your hands doing okay? Is your neck fine? You're not bleeding anymore right?"

Hadou Nejire. Second year brat and a Grade A nuisance. Noisy, a natural airhead, and just plain annoying. Tenko had to hold back his urges of dropping a bucket onto her head too many times to count.

"I'm fine, twirly brat. Now move, you're in my way," Tenko narrowed his eyes.

"Hadou-san…Don't bother Shimura-san too much…" A dark haired boy walked up to them, muttering lightly as his eyes swam.

Amajiki Tamaki. Also a second year brat and a Grade C nuisance. Quiet and reserved, but muttered too much and couldn't even hold a conversation. He made Tenko feel like shoving a bunch of takoyaki in his face far too often.

"Tamaki! Hadou! Wait up!" A blonde haired boy shouted cheerfully as he ran towards them, bowing once he saw Tenko. "Ah, Shimura-san! It's good to see you!"

Togata Mirio. The last second year brat that bothered talking to Tenko, but he didn't know whether he deserved a grade B or S of annoyingness. Tenko sometimes wanted to take a picture of his face and slap it on the body of a video game character.

"The feeling is not reciprocated," Tenko replied in annoyance. "Now move, damn it. I'm trying to do my work here." That wasn't a lie; he really had to clean Gym Gamma because fucking Hero Class B had to have that kid with the puking tendencies-

"But, but! I have something to tell you, Shimura-san!" Hadou swung her arms up and down, looking at him with an energetic smile.

"Ah…I actually do too…" Amajiki muttered, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me!" Togata brightened up, and the three of them shuffled around before they all stood in front of him in a straight line.

They bowed simultaneously, the deepest bow being Amajiki while Hadou was the shallowest.

"Thank you for helping us the other day!"

Tenko threw a bucket at their heads. It clanked lightly on Hadou's head before landing loudly on the ground. Hadou pouted as she rubbed her head. "Idiots! Don't make a scene in the middle of the damn hallway!"

Amajiki sunk to the ground, wrapping his arms around his legs. Tenko swore he could see a doom cloud form above him. "I knew it…I knew this was a bad idea…"

"Tamaki! Don't be like that! We all know Shimura-san didn't mean it!" Togata tried his best to cheer up his childhood friend.

"Ehh, he doesn't?!" Hadou put her hands to her mouth in surprise.

Tenko held his head in his hands.

Brats.

…That reminded him. He briefly wondered what the small green bean and half and half were up to these days. He hadn't visited that mini brat's grave in a while as well. He might as well drop off a box of pretzels later on, he mused as he pushed the cart past the three in hopes of getting away.

Hadou managed to block him once again with a cheery smile, dragging Amajiki by the scruff of his uniform with Togata still spewing out phrases that could exist in the all too famous shounen manga.

He cursed in his head and had to remind himself that no matter how tempting it was, he was not allowed to fling his cart at another student again. Nezu made quite sure of that when he threw the damn thing against the group of shit stains who thought that ganging up on the Tin-tin looking boy and spineless octopus the other day in gym class was a _fantastic idea_.

There were two things Shimura Tenko hated the most in the world after all.

Mindless idiots, and worthless people who did absolutely nothing.

 **XXX**

"Zero-chan!"

I let out a small puff of air as Alter crashed into me, her arms wrapping around me. She started rubbing her cheek against mine, but it wasn't strange or unfamiliar compared to the first time she did that. I supposed that I was getting used to it.

"Yo, Zero, what've you been doing? I saw you just now!" Double approached us and questioned, his head tilted. Before I could answer though, the door behind me opened, and Blister entered the room. My eyes travelled to the new burns on his arms and legs, and I wondered how he was holding up.

"Oh, Blister-kun! Are you okay? You look all wrinkled." Alter asked, her eyes flashing in concern.

"Yeah dude, are you okay? We weren't worried at all!" Double added in, the material around his forehead wrinkling.

Blister rolled up his sleeves and showed them to us. They looked bad; his once peach colored skin was purple and wrinkled, the crudely stapled on surgical staples standing out against the color. "My legs look about the same. Don't worry, I'm fine. My quirk just backfired on me and I miscalculated the amount of gunpowder in my new creation."

"You should be more careful," I pointed out. "It all happened during a mission. Your injuries would've been worse if the bomb didn't take all the enemies out. Do you have some sort of fetish with burns?"

Everyone in the room paused and turned to look at me. I blinked.

"Zero-chan, where did you learn that word?" Alter's voice was sweet like honey.

"I heard Double talking about it with Blister yesterday. Was I using it wrong?" I tilted my head. Alter turned to send an expression that was a mix of a pout and a glare, and Double started waving his hands around.

"I-I didn't say anything like that, I swear! My mouth was all loose!"

"Double-kun! You're at fault too, Blister-kun!" The glare-pout on Alter's face would not fade.

Blister let out a sigh that showed how troublesome this was for him. He rolled his sleeves back down and walked towards the entrance, grabbing a long black coat off the coat rack. "Whatever. I'm going to go out for a while."

"Can we come?" Alter asked, her expression going back to her normal one. "We've been doing nothing but lounging around and taste testing Haze-san's drinks all day!"

"I was getting bored too! Take us Blister! We have so much to do at home!" Double added in, already grabbing his hoodie.

"May I come too?" I asked, looking at Alter. "I was planning on taking a walk anyway." She smiled enthusiastically and nodded.

"Of course! Hey, let's all go out! Haze-san, do you want to come too?" Alter looked at the misty bartender who was wiping the counter.

"I'm afraid I must decline," His tone was polite. "Boss has requested my appearance at headquarters, and I must get going soon if I do not want to be late."

"Aww! Alright, promise you'll come with us next time! Come on Zero-chan, Blister-kun and Double-kun are already out the door!" Alter put on her navy sweater that was lying on the couch while I grabbed a black parka. She took me by the hand and pulled me along while talking about the new knife she wanted to get, following the two boys who were walking ahead of us as they talked about explosions and weapons.

I felt the edge of my lips twitch.

 _It's warm,_ the voice in my head sighed contently.

 **XXX**

Midoriya Izuku had been through his share of frightening experiences.

But when his idol since childhood turned into a skeleton in front of his eyes, he was almost a hundred percent sure that the world was ending somehow and this was the start of some sort of apocalypse.

He wasn't sure how it all happened. He remembered getting attacked by a slime villain and All Might appearing only moments later to save him. He remembered getting woken up by rapid, yet surprisingly gentle slaps. He remembered feeling really happy when All Might remembered him from four years ago, and felt immensely embarrassed when it was because he saw the picture of Shouto, him and Ochako dressed for the gala that had slipped out of his pocket.

Then…he mentioned something about Ochako that Izuku couldn't hear about. He got closer to the big hero to hear him better, but All Might had suddenly mentioned that he needed to go, and took off. What he didn't expect was that All Might's foot had somehow snagged on one of the hooks and straps that were attached to his bag, and before he knew it, he was flying through the sky while dangling from the number one hero's foot.

That was an experience he never wanted to have again.

All Might had realized that fact only less than three seconds later, and landed on a nearby building to drop him off when steam suddenly started billowing from his mighty body, and he was suddenly all bones with no meat.

Izuku nearly screamed and fainted.

He felt even worse when he had asked All Might what had happened, and when All Might explained his story.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," Izuku apologized regrettably, holding his notebook to his chest tightly. "I shouldn't have asked something so personal."

"It's okay, young Midoriya. It is my fault in the first place for letting you see me like this," All Might grunted as he stood up, letting go of his white shirt that fluttered down to cover his wound. All Might smiled lightly when he saw Izuku still looking like he had stomped on a squirrel.

"Then, how about a question for a question?" He suggested a way for the boy to feel less guilty.

"H-huh? O-Of course!" Izuku nodded frantically. "If there's anything I can do-"

"Now, now, it's just a simple question." All Might let out a small chuckle, wiping away the blood on his lip. "As I was picking up your notebook, I saw glimpses of what seemed to be hero information on it, but that wasn't all. There was a lot of information about the villain news, recent and old," His blue eyes narrowed slightly, and Izuku gulped.

"They seem to be too well written. There's even some information on there that isn't known to the public. May I ask where you heard about them?"

Izuku's hands were shaking when he took a small breath in, and started to speak. "I…I ask Shouto-kun about them. Since that his father is the number two hero, Shouto-kun sometimes hear his father talking on the phone at home. He just tells me the things he hears, because he knows that I…collect info."

"Why, young Midoriya? Why do you need that much information?" All Might's eyes narrowed even more until Izuku couldn't take it.

"Because I want to be a hero!" Izuku blurted out. "I-I know that I'm quirkless, but you told me that there are many types of strengths! You inspired me, and of course I had help from many people, and I just…I couldn't give up on my dream." His fists clenched as he looked down.

"I've already decided that I won't let my shortcomings take away what I want to do," Izuku muttered softly, tracing the outline of his pocket where his most precious memory was. "So, I'm trying to find my own way to fight, All Might. That's why I collect information. Because that's the only thing I can do now."

All Might was quiet for a moment. Izuku didn't dare look up, his legs were trembling and his hands were shaking as well, but he bit his lip and stubbornly focused on the ground. He heard rustling, and slightly looked up to see All Might standing and leaning on the fence of the roof.

"Young Midoriya," All Might's voice was soft. "I am glad that you took my advice to heart. What I said to you back then, I truly meant it, and I also do now. There are many types of strengths, and if you want to get stronger, you should find the weapon that only you can wield," His blue eyes dimmed.

"But there are monsters in the world that can and will destroy you, no matter how sharpened your weapon may be."

Izuku held his breath as All Might turned to face him, his eyes sad and full of regret. It was an expression that Izuku had never seen before, it was an expression that dug deep into Izuku's mind and scarred his brain to stay in there forever.

"Young Midoriya, I truly admire your spirit to be a hero despite your condition. But without a quirk, no matter how much information you gather, there is a higher risk of losing your life. I do not want to see that moment happen," All Might's tone was soft, gentle, and it made Izuku want to cry. "And I'm sure that young Uraraka will feel the same."

All Might pushed himself off the fence and started walking towards the exit. "The hero work is not the only noble job in the world. Take the police for example. Even though there are some who make fun of them, their job is as equally important as a hero's." He paused at the door and turned back to look at Izuku.

His lips lifted slightly, but Izuku could only stare at him. "Goodbye, young Midoriya. May our paths cross again someday."

The door shut with a click, leaving Izuku alone with his thoughts.

All Might told him that he shouldn't be a hero. He was worried about Izuku, but he didn't believe that Izuku could as well. All Might, his idol, the number one hero.

His hands couldn't stop shaking, so he gripped his notebook tighter to try and stop them. His thoughts spilled out in murmurs. "No. No. She wouldn't. Ochako-chan, she told me she knew I could be a hero. She believed in me to the very end. Shouto-kun feels the same way, I'm sure of that."

His voice was quivering. If he gave up here, everything that he had worked for would be for naught. All the days he spent data collecting, building his body, doing everything he could just to get even a step closer to his dream, he couldn't just sacrifice all of that.

He didn't want to give up.

His eyes were watery before he realized it. He sniffed, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his gakuran, and exhaled, looking up at the sky.

If Ochako-chan were here, he breathed. She would want him to try. She would want him to become a hero no matter what, because she believed he could do it.

Shouto-kun wouldn't have gone through so much trouble if he didn't believe in Izuku as well. He was the one who suggested his training, who pushed him to his limits and never held back because he knew Izuku was capable. His mother was always thinking of his health, making balanced meals to fit his training schedule. She was there to pick him up when he was down, she was there when he just needed someone to talk to and be comforted.

He had people who believed in him. If that wasn't enough, what was?

Izuku clenched his hand into a fist, determination flooding into him.

 **XXX**

Deku wanted to go to U.A.

Fucking Deku had the guts to stare back at him without flinching.

Was Katsuki okay with that? He sure as hell wasn't, but he wasn't going to show that in front of his lackeys. He had sworn to ignore that little nerd because he couldn't spare any time to care about him, if he broke that oath now, it would make Katsuki seem like an idiot.

Deku looked less puny now, a small thought echoed in the back of his head. He looked taller. Less flimsy.

He already fucking knew that. If Deku was getting better, then Katsuki had to push himself to the absolute limit. There was no way he would let that nerd get the upper hand.

 _Fifty pushups, run for an hour, sixty sit-ups-_

 _Plunk._

Huh? He felt like he had kicked something awfully heavy.

He looked down to see a plastic bottle with something green inside, but that was all he could see when the green suddenly popped out of the container and engulfed him, blocking his view. Something was curling, molding around him, something cold, wet, and slimy and it felt horrifyingly disgusting.

The last thing Katsuki remembered doing was opening his mouth to scream.

 **XXX**

We were in the middle of shopping for miscellaneous items when the store next to us blew up.

Most of the customers in the shop ducked behind a shelf or something for cover, while some stood stupidly while holding their hands up and screaming. The blast was strong enough for some debris and such to fly and break into the store we were in, shattering the glass and spreading it everywhere. The normal people in the shop decided that this was not their time and bolted out almost immediately when the blast settled down, and in no time at all, we were the only ones left.

"Well," Blister started, brushing the off the dust on his shoulder. "That was unlucky. I was planning to go to that store next."

"Woah, that was a big blast! Should we get out of here?" Alter pouted as she laced her fingers behind her back. "Why did this have to happen today?"

"Damn, is this karma? I've only done good things in my life!" Double added in, his tone a little sullen and disappointed. It was a little unnerving to see the normally energetic man be down.

Another blast occurred right across the street. Blister rolled his eyes and stepped over the glass shards, heading for the door. "You guys can go back. I'm going to loot around and swipe anything I can find."

"You're going to try and steal in this situation? Totally chill bro!" Double did a thumbs up as he followed Blister.

"Flashy, unprofessional villain attacks are usually the best times for another criminal to get to work," Blister shrugged, his eyes darting behind to find Alter, Double and I following him. I looked up at him.

"Lead the way," I said. "We might as well accomplish what we originally came here for."

"Go, go, go!" Alter cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I wanna go to the butcher's! Maybe there's a knife there for me!"

"Let's do our stuff! I'm completely fine doing this alone!" Double pumped his fist towards the ceiling.

It might have been an illusion, but I thought I saw Blister's mouth twitch ever so slightly.

 **XXX**

Izuku saw smoke. He saw smoke, which meant something big was happening near the area he was in, and that called out the immense urge in him to check it out. The conversation with All Might before echoed faintly in his mind, but he shook his head and took out his notebook and pencil. He rushed towards the black tendrils coiling up in the air, maneuvering through the streets expertly.

He could smell it before he saw it.

Fire. The whole street was most likely covered in fire. There were a lot of people crowding, just watching while the crime scene happened, like this morning. He tried his best to push through the gaggle of people, eyes scanning and his brain straining to recognize the situation.

"What the hell is that?!"

"The whole street is burning!"

As he'd expected, the entire street was covered in flames. Buildings were on fire, some parts of the street were blackened and burnt, and all in all, it looked like a scene out of a fire pit hell.

"What are the heroes doing? Why aren't they doing anything?"

"Maybe they're waiting for backup?"

There were three heroes, all of them whom he'd seen before. Kamui Woods, Mt. Lady, Backdraft and Death Arms. They were saving the civilians, helping them out of the burning area, but they were not doing anything else. Why weren't they attacking the enemy?

"Look, there's the villain!"

Then, his gaze focused in the middle of all the destruction, and the notebook dropped to the floor.

The slime villain. It was the same one that had attacked Izuku, but why was it here? Didn't All Might capture it in a plastic bottle? As Izuku's thoughts churned and processed, he came to the deadly conclusion that the hero must have dropped it while flying, but he was too distracted by Izuku to realize that.

Although it was an accident, it was practically his fault, he realized. It was his fault that the villain got away, his fault that this had to happen, and now, because of him, some poor guy was probably suffocating in the slimy liquid like he had-

"There's a kid in there! Was he taken captive?"

"Somebody do something!"

The world around him stopped.

Blonde hair. Red eyes. With hands sparking like fireworks, his teeth gnashed against each other, the boy he'd known since they were little was trying so, so hard to break free on his own. The slime swirled around him, jerking him back by the mouth with only his eyes revealed. When his crimson gaze focused on the increasing crowd far away, Izuku knew that he would've recognized that look anywhere.

Because a long time ago, when he was sure the world was against him, he'd seen that look everyday in the mirror.

 _Kacchan._

His legs moved on their own.

 **XXX**

We were in an alleyway, that much I could register.

"This is amazing! There's so many stuff people left behind!" Alter grinned as she admired the butterfly knife in her hand, her cheeks pink and her eyes hazy.

My gaze was focused.

"Get a load of this! I'm not gonna show you anything!" Double whistled as he dug around in his pockets.

My heartbeat, I could hear my heartbeat drumming in my ears.

"I got the stuff I needed," Blister commented, his tone calm with a tint of relief. "This'll last me for a while."

My head, it was spinning. Why was the world spinning?

"…Zero-chan?" Alter's bright yellow eyes popped into my line of sight. I could faintly see the concern reflected in them, but I couldn't look away from the scene in front of me.

The one I assumed that was the villain responsible for this mess was a green blob of liquid. Its eyes and mouth was the only solid looking thing in its body. The green liquid coiled and curled around a boy- _he was wearing a gakuran, he couldn't be younger than a junior high student-_ and I couldn't tear my gaze away from them no matter how much I willed myself to.

The boy, he was a blonde. His hair was spiky, untamed, explosive-looking like a puffer fish. His eyes that swam around in panic, in fright, were a crimson red. He was shouting, screaming, pleading for help even though not a word of that sort escaped his mouth.

…Who…was…he?

 **XXX**

People were screaming, the heroes were shouting at him to get back, 'What was he doing?' he thought to himself, but it was as if his body was on autopilot. His legs surged forward, his eyes automatically scanning for any kind of opening, when he noticed that the only solid thing was the villain's eyes and mouth. When one eye noticed him and the villain hesitated, Izuku took that opening and threw his huge bag at the eyeball, managing to make it flinch with an angry roar.

Izuku managed to reach Katsuki before the villain could react, but now that he was here, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next. He really, really should have thought of something better.

Katsuki was able to free his mouth in that moment. His voice was raspy and shaking. "Deku?! What the fuck-"

It was Kacchan, it really was Kacchan. His thoughts spilled out of his mouth without second thought.

"Don't!" Izuku screamed, his vision blurring as he clawed away at the liquid. There had to be some way, some kind of way to get him out. "Don't call me that! Don't say anything! I know! I know what you want to say!"

Katsuki gritted his teeth, his eyes livid with fear and another emotion Izuku couldn't point out. "Why are you even here?! You're quirk-"

He knew. Of course he knew.

"I know I am! I know I'm crazy, I know I should be happy seeing you like this!"

He should've been happy, delighted even. The person that had caused him to jump off a building was in pain. He was scared. He was finally feeling a fraction of what Izuku had felt for years. In his mind, he knew that what Bakugou Katsuki did to him was unacceptable, unredeemable, and that this was supposed to be his punishment for all that he had done to Izuku.

If it were any other person, they probably would feel so.

But he couldn't. He didn't.

"But I can't!" He cried, his green eyes looking up to glare at Katsuki. His eyes were wet, his lips were trembling, but his voice rang out loud and clear.

"I just can't leave someone who looks at me like that!"

He just couldn't. Even if that person was Bakugou Katsuki.

 **XXX**

Vibrant, dark green. Green, curly, _shorter_ hair, green, _shining_ , wet eyes-

Alter was shaking me by my shoulders. Blister's and Double's voice were fading into the background. All the noise around me was dissolving into gray, fuzzy disturbances.

I couldn't hear, I couldn't think, all I could do was _watch._

The green haired boy who ran recklessly into the blazing fire, he was clawing helplessly at the liquid. His feeble attempts meant nothing, the green slime still intact.

 _He's trying to save him. He's trying to get him out._

They were talking, screaming, crying at each other, but I couldn't hear anything. My head was ringing, my vision was blurry, but there was something buried deep in me, something was trying to reach out, to tell me something- but I had no idea what this feeling was.

The slime was reaching out. I realized that its target was the boy with the shining tears and brave cries.

 _No. Stay away, go away, GET AWAY FROM HIM!_

My hands moved before I could think.

 **XXX**

"Huh…You, get away…It's just a bit longer…" The villain groaned, recovering from Izuku's cheap shot. "So…Stop getting in my way!"

The slime moved towards him, and Izuku braced himself. Katsuki roared, tears glimmering in his eyes.

 **XXX**

The building next to me was crumbling, getting torn apart because of the fire.

I activated _Zero Gravity_ on it to rip a sizable chunk off, the cement weighing lightly in my hands.

With my aim locked on the villain, I swung my arm back and _threw_ with all the power in my body _._

 _Deactivate,_ the voice inside my head muttered as I smashed my fingers together.

 **XXX**

Something happened. Something entirely miraculous, unbelievable happened right in front of his eyes.

A chunk of debris flew towards them and nailed the villain in both of his eyes. The sharp edges dug into them, causing blood to flow and for him to scream in pain. The villain's grip loosened, the liquid no longer coiling around Izuku.

He didn't miss the chance. He grabbed Katsuki's arm, and _pulled._

Katsuki aimed his arm behind him and let rip a strong blast. That was enough for the two boys to be free of the slimy, green liquid and send them tumbling across the road. With the two of them panting on the ground, their clothes torn and tattered, Izuku only had a moment to realize that he was still holding onto Katsuki's arm before the villain let out another roar.

He directed his fearful gaze back to the slime, and the feeling of dread caught up to him when it glared furiously at them, its eyes only slightly open with red dripping down onto the concrete.

"YOU!" It roared. "I will not let you get away! You're the perfect vessel! Get back here!"

Izuku's legs trembled. He couldn't stand.

Was this how it all ended?

He felt Katsuki pull his arm away from his grip, and he turned his head to look at the blonde.

"Ka…cchan?"

"Deku," His voice was shaking; quivering as were his hands, but Katsuki somehow managed to push himself up to his feet. He couldn't believe his eyes when the taller boy staggered, pushing himself to stand in front of Izuku, his arms out and his waist lowered.

"Get up, nerd," Katsuki was forcing himself to speak. "Get up and run. Get away."

"B-but!"

"I SAID GET UP AND RUN, QUIRKLESS IDIOT!" Katsuki yelled, his voiced strained and raspy.

If he was who he had been, there was no doubt he would have.

But he didn't spend all that time training for nothing.

His legs stopped shaking. He managed to get up, but instead of turning tail and fleeing, he stumbled next to the blonde, his body forming a stance that was already too familiar to his body. His right feet positioned behind his left one. One arm placed under his chest with the palm facing up, another arm pushed outwards.

It was a pose that he'd seen Ochako done many times when she was sparring against Shouto.

"No," He whispered, only soft enough for Katsuki to hear. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

This was a stupid idea, his thoughts chimed. But it was the only thing he could think of.

The slime broke in their direction. Katsuki palms sparked and Izuku's eyes spotted a piece of debris he could use.

It happened too fast for him to comprehend.

Because the next thing he knew, he was being pulled behind by the arm while a ridiculously strong wind blew from behind, and a laugh that was the most reassuring sound he'd ever heard in his life rung out loud.

"I AM HERE!"

All Might.

 _He came._

 **XXX**

"Zero-chan! Zero-chan!"

"Ah, the fuck- we need to scram now!" Blister yelled and picked the little girl, tossing her over his shoulder as they made their way out of there.

Fuck, shit, hell, Blister cursed in his head as he put an arm on Zero to make sure she didn't fall off his shoulder. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she suddenly pull a stupid-ass move that was risky as hell? Why did she seem like she was seeing a ghost when she stared at the damn crime scene?

So many questions were swimming around in the black haired man's mind, when he felt her grip tighten on the back of his coat.

"I…I…"

"Save the shit for later, short stuff," He said gruffly, keeping his eyes trained on the path in front of them. They weren't too far from the hideout; it would only be a few more minutes more.

"Zero-chan! Are you okay?! Were you hurt?" Toga had noticed that the girl was awake, immediately jumping to his side to look at her.

"Zero! What was up with you back there? I couldn't care less!" Double's voice was laced with worry as well.

"My head… it hurts…" She muttered, her voice tight with pain. "It feels like something…is trying to tear me apart… I…I…"

They reached the hideout. Blister slammed the door open without any warning, and scanned the bar. No one was there, not even Haze at the counter, so he suspected that the man was still at headquarters.

He dumped her on the couch before gripping the counter and throwing himself over it to reach the shelves. There has got to be something in here, he told himself as he rummaged through the neatly lined bottles. He saw Double doing the same, searching the other side, while Toga had rushed to Zero's side, taking her coat off and trying her best to talk to her.

A bottle caught his attention. It wasn't like any other; it was small and white with a blank blue label. He reached for it and looked inside to see small, white pills. They looked familiar somehow.

He recognized them as the pills that he saw Haze feed Zero, the pills that he felt that they were more than just simple medicine.

He took one out and snuck it into his pocket, closing the bin and putting it back where he found it. After rummaging some more, he finally found some painkillers. To his surprise, Double had already gotten a glass of water ready, and they headed on over to the couch to find that Zero had already passed out, her face deathly pale.

After putting the glass and medicine down on the coffee table, Blister let out a deep sigh and sat on the couch across from her, leaning back.

"Alter-chan? Did she say anything before she woke up?" Double asked, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Toga was sitting on a chair nearby, her knees tucked into her chest. The normally smiling girl was frowning, her eyes narrowed and voice uncertain.

"She said that she knew them," Toga muttered. "She said she saw them before, but she fainted before she could say anything else."

She paused before looking at the two males in the room. "Blister-kun, Double-kun. I think, there's something wrong with Zero-chan. And it's not only her. I think there's something wrong with…"

She trailed off, her arms tightening around her legs. Double was silent for a surprise, facing the ground with his expression hidden behind his mask.

Blister let out another sigh, covering his eyes with his arm.

Tell me something I don't know, he muttered in his mind.

He supposed it was time for some real snooping now.

 **XXX**

Izuku was walking home alone, buried deep in his thoughts as he gripped his yellow, slightly burnt backpack.

He received a scolding from the other pro heroes at the scene after All Might defeated the villain. They told him not to be reckless, that he could have lost his life. In contrast, they praised Bakugou for his courage, for his determined will because he didn't give into the villain in the end.

He stopped walking. He bit his lip as his eyebrows furrowed.

Why did he pull that reckless stunt anyway? It was Bakugou. He wasn't someone who needed pity, or anyone to save him. He was strong, arrogant, mean and so, so frustratingly thick-headed.

Maybe that was why Izuku couldn't hold himself back when Bakugou made that face, that face that screamed 'Help me!', because Bakugou Katsuki was never one to ask for help.

He let out a frustrated sigh and continued walking. He had dropped his notebook and it got loss in the fray, and when he checked earlier, the picture that he had held onto dearly was missing from his pocket as well.

 _Well, this day couldn't get any worse,_ he thought glumly.

"I AM HERE!"

"Waaaah!" Izuku let out a nearly girlish scream as All Might suddenly rushed in front of him.

"All Might?! What are you doing here?! Weren't you surrounded by reporters?" Izuku asked, his tone still slightly high pitched from the shock he received from earlier.

The hero was as gallant as ever with his pearly white teeth shining against the rays of the sunset. "Haha! Shaking them off if nothing to me! After all, I'm All-" His speech was cut off by harsh coughing and blood spilling out of his mouth as his muscled form steamed away to reveal the bony stature of the number one hero.

"A-are you alright?!" Izuku asked, his tone slightly panicking as he worried for the tall man. "Should I get you a first aid kit or something?! Maybe you need some rest, I'll be on my way so that you can-"

"Hold on, hold on," All Might wiped the blood off of his mouth. "I'm fine, young Midoriya. I thank you for your concern, but truly, I am okay."

"If you say so…" Izuku trailed off, his brow still furrowed in worry. "Um, so, why are you…?"

"Young Midoriya," All Might's tone was firm, and it caused Izuku to straighten his back. "I've come here to thank you and revise what I said earlier. After seeing you today, I have decided that I was wrong in what I thought of you."

"…Huh?"

"You were the one that spurred me into action," All Might continued. "I do not know if young Uraraka have told you this, but during our second meeting, I told her that I would sacrifice myself if it meant I could save thousands. If it weren't for you, I would have gone back on my word. I would have been nothing but full of lies. So I thank you, Young Midoriya."

He felt an indescribable emotion grip at him as All Might smiled, his sunken, blue eyes glinting.

"But…I couldn't do anything in the end," Izuku confessed, his hands shaking. "It was all pure luck…And it was my fault in the first place that it all happened!"

"It was an accident," All Might said firmly. "It was not your fault."

"But," He felt his lips tremble. "I caused so much trouble for so many people…Indirectly or not, I was one of the reasons that it all happened. I'm…I'm so sorry, All Might."

He bowed his head deeply, his heart squeezing in guilt. There was a small pause before the number one hero spoke up once again.

"Young Midoriya," All Might's voice was soft and gentle, the same way he spoke to Izuku on that rooftop. "What do you think is needed to become a hero?"

He didn't even need time to think. He already knew deep in his heart, what kind of hero he wanted to be. "The will to help people. That you feel like you will overcome anything to save the people in need no matter what happens."

He lifted his head slightly to see All Might serious expression. "Most of the top heroes show signs of greatness even as children. Many of them claimed that their bodies moved before they could think!"

Izuku's heart thumped in his chest rapidly as All Might spoke, his gaze never wavering from his.

"That was the case for you back there, was it not? Your strong spirit, your will was the reason you could move without doubting yourself! If that is not potential, then I do not know what it!"

All Might held out his hand towards the younger boy.

"Midoriya Izuku, you _can_ be a hero."

Emotions gripped at Izuku like nothing ever before. For a moment, he was stupefied; he was stuck in place as All Might stood there, his words replaying in Izuku's mind.

 _You can be a hero._

 _Oh, Ochako-chan,_ Izuku felt tears pour out of his eyes.

 _Thank you for believing in me._

 **XXX**

Katsuki slammed his door shut, shutting out any noise from the world outside. The old hag was still yelling at him from the other side, but Katsuki wasn't in any mood to deal with anything right now.

He dumped his bag on the ground and face planted into his bed.

His fists tightened, his hand bunching up the fabric under them.

" _I just can't leave someone who looks at me like that!"_

What the hell was that?

" _I won't leave you alone."_

What in the fucking hell was that?

Him? Made the face of someone who needed saving? Did Deku even know who he was talking to?

He didn't saving. He didn't need anyone to stand by him. Why did that dipshit even pull that stupid-ass stunt when he was the one without a quirk? When he was the one who was below him?

"God fuck," Katsuki pushed out, his eyes feeling wet and strange and nothing like he was. "Why did that fucking nerd even do that…?"

He stuffed a hand into his pocket and pulled a crumpled piece of paper out. It was a picture. It was a picture of Deku, round face and half and half. They were dressed in fancy looking clothes. Round face had her arms hooked around the two boy's necks, pulling them together with a bright smile. Half and half was smiling at the camera. Deku was the only one who wasn't.

He was looking at her, his cheeks flushed, his eyes shining with a certain warmth that Katsuki hadn't seen in a long, long time.

"Fuck," Katsuki murmured, the hot, salty tears spilling out of his traitorous eyes. "Fuck Deku, fuck round face-fuck everything!"

He threw the picture to the ground before his hands sparked.

He hated Deku. He hated how the nerd looked at him; he hated how he seemed to see through all of Katsuki's walls ever since they were little. He hated how he was always there; he hated how he made Katsuki feel inferior to the quirkless idiot.

The image of Uraraka entered his mind. The first ever person to stand up to him, the first person besides himself to stand by Deku, who protected him when everything else ( _He)_ was out for him.

Fuck Uraraka. Fuck Deku.

Why did they have to mess up everything? Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

 _White hair. Pale skin and faded milky eyes, and tormented cries of help._

Why couldn't the everybody just leave him alone?

That night, for the first time in a long, long while, Bakugou Katsuki went to sleep with tears dried on his cheeks.

* * *

 **CANON. Has arrived.**

 **Somewhat, sort of. Introducing the Hibiki family, a bunch of ice pricks except for a few. Introducing Tenko the janitor along with a few familiar faces.**

 **A lot of stuff went down since I mixed the first episode of BHA with one of my original scenes. It turned out to be too long so I split it into two chapters, so double chap update!**

 **Izuku is an amazing little bean that must be granted power. Shouto is the best friend ever. Katsuki earned character development! Zero is having major revelations, and the League are up to something!**

 **Thank you my readers, I love you all, and see you next time!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	22. Chapter 21: The season for development

**Disclaimer: I do not own BHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 21: The season for development**

One for All. That was the name of All Might's quirk, and his soon to be one, Izuku thought.

He had already written more than a few pages of his observations on All Might's power, so when he was told that it could be passed on; he swore that his mind was not the only thing blown away.

The next day however, managed to surprise him even more.

"Eat…your hair?!"

"Yes, my boy. You need to intake my DNA in order for you to inherit my quirk."

"B-but, this soon?! I thought I would have to go through a whole training session, or, well, something more grueling?!"

"The fact that you will undergo rigorous training will not change, but your body is much more developed than I had expected it would be," All Might explained to him patiently, his blue eyes glimmering in the morning light. "You have been working hard for five years, young Midoriya."

He felt like he was going to cry again because of the taste of blonde hair and encouraging words.

"I will teach you as much as I can about my quirk and how you can use it! But we have a time limit, there is only ten months left before your entrance exam," All Might clenched his fist and held it towards him. "Your body may not be able to handle my power yet, so be prepared, young Midoriya!"

He spent countless days at a nearby beach filled to the brim with trash. Seeing it at first sent a sick feeling to his stomach, but when All Might told him that his task would be cleaning it, he was more than happy to begin his training.

Only ten months left, he puffed and huffed as he tried to summon the power into his right arm.

He was going to do everything in his power to succeed, no matter what.

 **XXX**

Something was off, Shouto decided. Something was very, very off.

For one thing, it was nighttime on a Sunday and his mother hadn't called him yet. Natsuo was absent from the house even though it was one of their 'bonding nights'. Fuyumi was slaving away, grading math papers in her room even though she was never one to pile up work and do them at the last minute.

But the biggest one should have probably been the weird kid sitting in the middle of his room.

"…Who are you?" Shouto asked, a little dumbfounded and surprised at a stranger suddenly appearing in his private quarters while he stood at the door. The stranger then looked at him and stood up, his height nearly identical to Shouto's. He had pure white hair that fell slightly above his eyes and dark, coal eyes that seemed devoid of emotion.

He looked strangely familiar somehow.

"Your cousin," The white haired boy spoke, his voice icy and cold, but somehow, strangely relaxing.

Shouto blinked once more and wondered if he should call his siblings just in case.

"From your mother's side," He finished. "My name is Hibiki Kogori."

Oh, Shouto nodded in his mind. No wonder he looked familiar. His features were really similar to his mother's in terms of hair and eye color.

"So, can I ask you why you're in standing next to my futon in the middle of the night? If you had something to tell me, you could have visited in the daytime."

"The day isn't safe for me to roam around here," He replied. "You should be more careful of where you go alone. You're lucky that auntie has some of her relatives guarding you."

Shouto tilted his head in a lot of confusion and a little irritation. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I can defend myself just fine."

"You didn't even notice the ones lurking around just a few days ago," His cousin (most likely) said. "I'm sure you don't even know that auntie is not what she wants you to think she is."

Shouto furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

The white haired boy didn't answer, but Shouto saw that his brow had twitched a little. There was an awkward pause until he let out a small sigh and bowed.

"It was pleasant meeting you. Goodbye."

He proceeded to try and exit from Shouto's room by his window, but Shouto had moved towards him fast enough to grab his arm. Shouto tightened his grip, his palm heating up lightly to show the boy that he was serious.

"Why did you come? That can't be the only reason."

The boy paused, looking back to meet his eyes once more, before saying in a cold tone, "I already explained myself. I came here to see you, nothing more and nothing less. Goodbye, cousin."

The air around the boy dropped a few degrees. Before Shouto could activate his fire, ice particles appeared out of thin air and swirled harshly around the boy, making a small blizzard indoors. The cold wind was too sudden for Shouto to comprehend what was going on, and when the blizzard cleared, Hibiki Kogori was nowhere to be seen.

Something was wrong. Shouto felt a cold shiver go down his spine.

He clenched his fist with small, orange fire bursting out in small amounts. The night was cold, almost a little too cold for a June night.

 **XXX**

Himiko was worried. Zero had been acting strangely ever since that small incident that happened a few months before. She had blackouts and collapsed more often, and when she woke up, it was usually with a pale face and sharp, unsteady breathing. It was normally Himiko who sat by her side and took care of her when Haze was too occupied, so she was well accustomed to the small, pained mutters that would slip out of her mouth every so often.

It was a stormy night when Zero fainted again. It happened all too suddenly; they were sitting around in the bar playing jenga when lightning struck and she fell on the wooden blocked tower, causing all the pieces to fall, with her eyes closed and breath stopped.

Double had carried her to her bed and Himiko had taken over after, sitting by her side and checking if anything else was wrong. Haze was gone because he was at headquarters, which gave Blister a perfect chance to sneak around and do what he was good at. The older man was grumbling about the lack of chances to snoop for the past few days. Double, although hesitant at the start, started getting more daring and tagged along with Blister.

Himiko hated the way things were. Her friend was in pain, the other members were off doing something dangerous, and no one was there to make everything clear. She wanted to know what was going on; she wanted someone to appear with a flashing sign over their head spelling out the truth for everyone to see.

Zero was whimpering as the blankets bunched up in her clenched fists. Himiko extended a hand towards her, but when the sky flashed as thunder grumbled, Zero was suddenly up, a strangled gasp escaping her mouth.

"Zero-chan!" She was quick to put her arms on her shoulders, securing her before she thrashed around. "It's me, don't you recognize me?"

"B-burns," She muttered, her eyes closed in harsh pain. "Red. White. Green. Tears, fire flies, raining."

"What happened?" She rubbed the other girl's shoulders gently. "What did you see?"

She knew the best way for Zero to calm down was to let her talk. Whenever Zero was out, it seemed like she was having dangerously harsh dreams, and letting everything out was good for dealing with nightmares. She would know; she had her fair share of them after all.

"I-I…" Zero inhaled, her form still shaking. "I saw…people. Red. White. Green. They were…they were…"

Her eyes dimmed slightly, her blank look almost reappearing, but there was still a faint light in them. She turned her head to look at Himiko, and Himiko wondered how she could look so different yet familiar at the same time.

"…Your name…" She started saying, her voice hoarse. "It's…Toga Himiko, right, Alter?"

Himiko felt her heart skip a beat, and a natural smile split across her face at hearing her real name in Zero's voice. "Yes, it is!"

"Zero…" She put her hand to her forehead. "My name, Haze told me my name. He said my name was Zero."

Himiko tilted her head. "It's pretty weird, but I think it's cute. Do you think it's weird?"

"It's…wrong," She finally said, her eyes dimming even more. "It doesn't feel right."

Himiko paused for a bit, biting her lip.

"Blister-kun thinks that it's your codename," Himiko spoke up hesitantly, recalling one of her earlier conversations with the taller man.

Zero turned away, her hands still gripping at the covers around her. "…I don't know."

She didn't know how to respond, so she stayed quiet, peeling her arms away from Zero. She stood up and sat on her bed, sticking her shoulders to the white haired girl. She then pulled out a small knife from one of her pockets and fiddled with it; twirling it and admiring the gleam it showed when lightning fell.

They stayed there for a while before Zero spoke up once more. "Alter?"

She hummed in response.

"…Do you have a family?" She seemed to push the words out of her mouth.

The question took Himiko by surprise. She hadn't expected anyone, much less Zero, to ask her a question as personal as that. The knife nearly tumbled out of her hands and onto the floor, but Himiko was fast enough to catch it without cutting herself.

"Family?" Himiko hummed uneasily, deciding to put the knife back to where it belonged. "I don't have a blood related one, Zero-chan. Why?"

"What happened?" Zero ignored her question. Himiko was once again taken aback by the emotion in her voice, something so unlike her that it made Himiko question whether she was really talking to the monotone girl she knew.

She started fiddling with her fingers. "They were killed. But, Zero-chan, why so suddenly? What's wrong?"

There was a small pause. She heard the other girl take in a small uneasy breath before shifting, so she turned her head to face her. Zero was looking at her now. Her white hair was standing up in various directions, her skin was still unhealthily pale and the bags under her eyes were horrible, but there was a certain light in her eyes that made Himiko gulp.

"…Could you just go with it?" Her voice was soft. It wasn't robotic or blank, it sounded so _humane_ and _tired_ , and Himiko knew that this was a once in a lifetime chance.

She let out a small hum. She rearranged how she sat, this time with her legs crossed in front of her as she faced Zero, her yellow eyes trained on her milky brown ones.

"Well, it's not a happy story," She giggled a little, hoping that it would release the tension between them a little. "But if you insist, I'll tell you, Zero-chan. Where should I start?"

Zero's shoulders sagged, her expression softening, and Himiko felt like wrapping her arms around her. "Maybe at the beginning? When they were still alive?"

"When they were alive…?" Himiko pondered, tapping her hand to her chin. "Mm, well, I had a daddy and a mommy. I didn't have any siblings. Mommy loved daddy a lot. She gave him a lot of kisses and gifts, but daddy was always so shy. He never did anything mommy did in front of me."

Zero only nodded. Himiko continued.

"Daddy always came back late because of his job. Mommy was fine with that at first, she sang me lullabies when daddy wasn't home, and she always told me how daddy was an amazing person who would love her forever."

Himiko paused, feeling a strong urge to grab a sharp object and fidget with it. Zero noticed her twitching hands and she did another thing that surprised Himiko to no end.

She reached out and covered her hands with hers. Himiko jerked at first, looking at the other girl in shock, but she was staring at their hands, almost in confusion, like she didn't understand why she did that.

She made no attempt to move away though, so Himiko managed to speak again.

"But mommy started acting strange when I was… seven, I think? She started saying that daddy was doing bad things. She said that daddy was cheating on her, that it was weird that he was out for so long. I don't know why, but she started playing with knives, needles, and a lot of other sharp things. She started saying that she had to get rid of the person who kept stealing daddy away from her."

"She sounded unstable," Zero piped up, her gaze still focused on their hands. "Obsessed with him."

Himiko smiled a little, letting a small giggle escape her lips. "I think so too, but it's not like I don't understand. Daddy was almost never home anymore. He was gone during the day and only came back really late at night, but he's always gone before mommy or I could see him. I found out why later, daddy was a police officer, so he was chasing down a really bad criminal. When he came back covered in blood one day, mommy went ballistic. She wanted to hunt down the person who hurt daddy, but that person came to us first. He had followed daddy back home to get rid of him. Mommy managed to stab him a few times, but he was stronger and sliced up mommy and daddy in front of me. I was hiding in the closet so he didn't find me, but I still can't forget that moment."

She could still see it happen. People said that time healed wounds, but scars would never fade for eternity. She supposed that that incident was one of them.

"And since that I had no other family, I was sent to an orphanage," She hummed lightly, her hands squeezing Zero's. "I spent a few years there, ran away in the end, and I met you and Blister-kun! Simple, isn't it?"

Of course there were things she wasn't telling her friend. That she had thought she was quirkless until that incident happened at the orphanage. That everybody at the facility stayed away from her, called her names and threw rocks at her because no one wanted to adopt her. That she had a friend before who she'd lost, and that she would do anything to go back and change what had happened.

Back then, adults and children alike called Himiko a monster. Was it because she loved the sharp gleam of knives, the taste of blood, and could kill a person without a second glance?

"Zero-chan," She murmured, brushing her thumb over her pale, white hand. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

Her grip tightened.

"I don't know," Zero replied, her voice soft and faraway. "I've never met one."

Himiko looked up.

Zero was smiling. It wasn't a happy smile, nor was it a big one. It was small, tired, and nothing more than a small lift of the corners of her lips, but it was the most emotion Himiko had ever seen that came from the white haired girl.

Himiko couldn't resist. She pulled her hands away from her cold grip and flung her arms around the white haired girl, burying her face into the crook of her neck. The reaction was hesitant and it took a while, but eventually, Zero's arms moved up to hug her back.

 **XXX**

It was his exam day. It was his exam day, he was supposed to focus, he was supposed to stay sharp, he was supposed to-

"HELLO? EXCUSE ME? THE BOY WITH THE RED AND WHITE HAIR OVER THERE!"

He wasn't supposed to get distracted by a guy who had no idea what an indoor voice was. Not like they were indoors, but Shouto liked having his eardrums intact.

The guy who had approached him was huge; he looked to be over 180 centimeters. The guy was practically a head taller than Shouto. He had a buzz cut with brown eyes and a wide smile that looked like it could split his face any second.

Shouto instantly knew what kind of type he was; the hot-blooded, youthful guy who was passionate about everything. He was the exact opposite of people like Shouto.

"Hey, I can hear you, you don't have to shout," Shouto replied, looking up at the tall guy. He blinked with his mouth half-open when Shouto replied, almost looking as if he didn't expect it.

"So, what do you need? I'm in a little bit of a hurry, the entrance exam for recommended students start soon, and I need to get going." He asked calmly, scanning the taller boy for any kind of reaction.

His slightly dimmed smile returned at full force at that, and Shouto could swear that those teeth could reflect the sun's rays. "Really?! Me too! My name is Yoarashi Inasa, it's nice to meet you! Hey, I was kind of curious ever since I saw you, but are you Endeavor's son?! You look a little like him!"

Shouto felt a prick of irritation seep into him, and his tone came out a little clipped. "My name is Todoroki Shouto. Please don't compare me with my father. He's not exactly…someone close to me."

Yoarashi clamped his mouth shut almost immediately at that, looking more taken aback than angry at his sudden coldness. Shouto then let out a small sigh and offered the tall boy a small smile.

"Sorry about that, I'm just a little sensitive when people talk about my family," Shouto spoke up. He adjusted his bag strap on his shoulder, a little uncomfortable. "If you're taking the test too, we really should get moving. It'll start in thirty minutes-" Shouto was cut off when the guy suddenly bowed hard enough to slam his forehead onto the brick path.

"PLEASE ACCEPT MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES!" He bellowed out, his voice echoing across the entire area. "I DID NOT MEAN TO OFFEND YOU IN ANY WAY! I ONLY MEANT TO MAKE FRIENDLY CONVERSATION!"

Shouto stood there dumbfounded. The people around them were staring at them, and some even started to whisper while gesturing at them.

Yoarashi then straightened soon after, blood dripping from his head with a million watt smile. "As an apology for my rude behavior, I insist that I escort you to your examination classroom!"

Shouto blinked once more. "…I'm in class A…?"

"What a coincidence! I happen to be appointed to the same classroom for my written exam!" Yoarashi sent him another brilliant smile. "I hope that we will be good friends and rivals, Todoroki!"

Shouto wondered why he always encountered the strangest people.

He decided to give into his fate, knowing that Yoarashi was definitely the persistent and stubborn kind of guy. In a way, he was a louder, more extreme and hot-blooded version of Izuku, he muttered to himself in his mind.

"Alright, if you say so. But don't you have to get your forehead checked or something? You're still bleeding."

"Don't worry! I'm fine with blood! I like blood!" Yoarashi replied with another glaringly bright smile and Shouto felt like taking out a mirror.

"…Alright."

It would not be later until the two of them once again, ended up on the same track to compete during their practical exam. It was then when Yoarashi would pass Shouto and reach the goal by less than a second, and that was when Shouto decided that he had finally found his match.

If only he wasn't shouting all the time. Shouto didn't have invincible ears after all. He'd introduce him to Izuku sometime. The shorter boy would definitely get a kick out of the taller boy's quirk and personality.

 **XXX**

Bubaigawara Jin was satisfied with his home. If there was something he would want to change about it, there would be a lot of things.

Firstly, he and his family (They were totally not related) lived in a slightly ratty building with a bar as its first floor. The only customers that ever came in were people who looked like they've been dragged through dumpsters or people in suits that had gold necklaces around their neck called a 'bling'. Why was a bar built at such a horribly inconvenient place? It was in one of the bad places in town, perfect for a hideout. That was one of his many questions.

Secondly, his family was the weirdest bunch he had ever met. A blank slate, a slender Frankenstein (The monster, not the human!), and a cute little girl with bloodlust he had never sensed before. They were the best, and they were the most irritating group of weirdoes he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was happy with them, they took him in, they gave him a mask and tied him together, and they _accepted_ him.

He was never the ambitious type, even before he begun to split. All he wanted to do was to take it easy in life without too much struggle. Too bad his quirk had nearly torn him apart and left him with a disorder, but at least his family didn't mind. He loved being with them. With them, he felt as if he could truly relax and not wonder about the complicated stuff.

His halcyon days did not last long though. Zero was breaking apart. He felt as if Zero was going through something that he had gone through, something to do with identity and one's true desires. She never spoke about it outright, but Jin had seen her crying in her sleep, calling out weakly for someone he didn't know about. Her recent mutters all had something to do with her name, about who she was.

Jin wished that he could help her. Other than assisting Blister with his sudden investigations, there wasn't much he could do.

Alter was worried constantly; it was as if the cheerful, humming girl he had known never existed at all. It wasn't long before Zero wasn't the only one with bags under their eyes, and Jin was glad that Haze had taught him how to whip up a drink that would make one fall asleep easier. The only thing that could ever cheer her up was a movie filled with gore, and even then, there were times where her eyes seemed troubled and frustrated.

Blister was almost always on edge. Although his face was stitched with a grin, his expression was definitely a frown. He stayed in his room more often and the loud noises and explosions from his room were less than before. When he spent time with them, he was barely talking except for a few quips here and there.

And then there was the pile of information on Zero that they found the other day, snooping around Haze's quarters. There was a picture of a brown haired girl looking strikingly similar yet completely different to the white haired girl, her eyes wide and bright with a gleaming smile. It seemed like a photo taken without permission though, and it was plastered on a sheet of paper with words that weren't Japanese. Double figured that it was some sort of code or a foreign language.

"Double," Blister had approached him at the bar the next day. Putting down a particularly weird tasting cocktail, Jin turned around to look at the dark haired man.

"What's up, Blister? I don't have time to listen to you!"

"Haze is going to come back tonight, so I want to talk to you about the info we gathered yesterday," Blister went around the counter, approaching the shelves stocked with bottles of alcohol while grabbing a random one.

"Yeah? What'd you get?" Jin took out two clean glasses. Blister popped open the bottle and poured, a beautiful orange liquid filling them.

"Lower your voice and lean closer," Blister instructed and Jin complied. The man's voice was hushed and soft when he spoke next.

"Zero is not her real name," Blister said quietly. "It's a fake. Given to her by the boss, I'm sure."

Jin nearly opened his mouth to let out a loud 'WHAT?!', but he remembered his place and replied back with an equally hushed tone.

"So what's her real name? I'm pretty sure I know it."

There was a small pause before Blister continued.

"Uraraka Ochako," Blister replied. "I could only make out a few other words; basic stuff like her height, weight and age."

Cheerful day and tea girl, Jin mused. It was as if her name was the complete opposite of the tiny girl.

Jin knew that what they were doing was dangerous. He had joined a small group of villains connected to the mafia, the mafia who killed without mercy and had no compassion in their hearts. If Zero wasn't who they thought she was, and the secrets that she had was way out of their control, what would happen if they were caught?

All of them would be killed, and Jin would have nothing. He wouldn't even exist alongside with them anymore.

"Blister," Jin took a deep breath. "I'm all for this plan and all, but this is crazy! What if we get arrested by the black fuzz?!"

Blister blinked. "Black fuzz?"

"Ya'know," Jin rambled. "The police of the underworld? I totally didn't mean the boss."

Blister reached out to grab his glass as he turned his face away, but Jin was sure he had caught a glimpse of a real smile this time. "There's a high chance we will. But we can't go back to how we were, not with Zero acting like that."

Blister downed the glass of whiskey, his head tilted back and his blue eyes focused on Jin. "There's something big going on, and we're going to be in the middle of it if that shortie will."

Jin felt a smile coming on as Blister put the glass down on the counter. Blister normally acted aloof and distant, different from how affectionate Alter was, but the time he had spent with Zero was longer than anyone else. That had got to count for something, and as they stood there, Jin knew that although he preferred not show it, there was a heart underneath all that wrinkled skin.

"You're such a softie! I hate mushiness!"

The black haired man let out a small scoff as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I'm not doing this out of compassion. I'm just not going to be a pawn for the boss if he plans on using us."

Jin finger gunned him with a ridiculously wide smile behind his mask. "Keep telling yourself that! You'll believe it soon, I know you will!"

Another smile crept onto his burnt face before he sauntered off; probably back to his room to diagnose the pill he stole from Haze before. Unfortunately for them, even the chemistry genius that was Blister couldn't figure out what it was made out of yet.

Jin looked at the two glasses on the table, one full and one empty.

'That bastard,' He thought. 'He left without washing his glass!'

He pulled the bottom half of his mask up and drunk his whiskey in one gulp.

 **XXX**

Ten months have passed ever since that fateful day, and Izuku felt like he was going to double over and puke again.

All Might had reassured him the previous day, giving him a wide smile and encouraging words. Although Izuku still couldn't use over 5% of One for All without breaking his bones, the number one hero claimed that the power he had right now was enough for the entrance exam.

His rigorous training with All Might with the added factor of sparing time to time with Shouto helped Izuku's body greatly. His form had more muscle and he was a little taller, at a height of 170 cm. However, for some strange reason, whenever he wore clothes they made him look thinner than he actually was. It was a strange effect and something Izuku wasn't really fond of, but his mother had giggled when he told her that.

Deep breaths, Izuku told himself. He gripped the straps of his yellow backpack and looked up at the gates of U.A. His breath came out in the form of white mist, signifying the cold of February.

He had studied hard for the written exam, and the past ten months of hard work would not lie to him. He had spent all that time trying to channel his quirk into his arms and legs for a power boost, and he was able to control it a little bit. Most times though, he had found himself with broken limbs and bones, and he would have to be taken to a special friend that knew of All Might's secret before his mother found out.

One for All was a quirk that got harder to control every time it was passed down due to the stockpile effect, Izuku recalled from what All Might told him. So it was completely rational for him to be only able to control 5% of it in ten months! He should be proud of himself!

…Telling himself that didn't really make him feel any better though, Izuku let out a small sigh.

He felt a hand tap his shoulder, and since he wasn't expecting it, he had let out a small squeak when he turned around.

"Ah, I'm sorry was I in the- Shouto-kun?!" His tone lifted when he saw a certain red and white haired boy.

"Hey Izuku," The taller boy smiled slightly at him, dressed in a casual attire that consisted of a white shirt and navy pants with a dark blue jacket. "You look like you need to go to the bathroom."

Izuku smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I-I'm a little nervous about the test, but anyway, what're you doing here? I thought you already passed the test for the recommended students!"

"I did, but the letter said the teachers have to brief us about the school today," Shouto spoke. "By the way, I think I have to introduce you to someone soon. He's easy to recognize."

Izuku tilted his head. "What do you-"

"TODOROKI!"

Shouto gestured at the giant guy who was approaching them at high speeds with a gigantic smile on his face. "Izuku, the guy running over to us right now is Yoarashi Inasa. Don't be too worried about offending him, he can take almost anything in stride."

"Todoroki!" The tall teen named Yoarashi came to a halt before them. Close up, Izuku felt that Yoarashi towered over Izuku like a giant, and his bulky winter jacket made him only look even bigger. "You're here for the briefing too? Let's go together- oh, hey, I didn't see you there!" He seemed to take notice of Izuku soon and Izuku hurried to bow his head.

"I'm Midoriya Izuku, a childhood friend of Shouto-kun's! It's nice to meet you, Yoarashi-kun."

"Huh? I didn't tell you my name yet, did I?" Yoarashi scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"I introduced you to him just now," Shouto added, his hands casually stuffed into his pocket.

"I see! Well, it's nice to meet you too, Midoriya-kun! You're here for the entrance exam, aren't you? Good luck! I hope we will be classmates!" Yoarashi grinned widely, and Izuku felt his mouth mimic the same expression.

Yoarashi Inasa was loud, friendly, and all around he seemed like a good guy. Izuku liked him, and he surprisingly didn't mind the taller boy's loud voice. It even slightly reminded him of someone; he felt a small laugh escape his mouth.

It was then when someone bumped harshly into his shoulder. Izuku turned to apologize once more but froze in shock when his eyes collided with bright red ones.

Bakugou.

"Shitty Deku," The blonde breathed out beneath his white scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, his eyes droopy and tired, as if he hadn't got enough sleep. Izuku was surprised, the blonde hadn't reacted as harshly as he had expected, especially since he was close enough to touch Izuku. Then Izuku realized that it was winter and early in the morning, and Kacchan had always been bad at winter mornings-

He cut his thoughts off as he tightened his lips. "Bakugou."

His red eyes flittered pass him to see Shouto and Yoarashi looking at them, and he redirected his gaze to the front. "Get out of my way."

He pushed past Izuku as he trudged on forward, his shoulder and back hunched with his hands stuffed into his pockets. Izuku's eyes trailed after him for a bit, but then turned back to meet the two questioning gazes.

He gave Shouto a small smile and nodded at Yoarashi. "Well, I better be off. I hope I'll see you again, Yoarashi-kun." He turned away; ready to move on when Shouto put his hand on his shoulder once more.

"Shouto-kun…?"

"Deku," Shouto recited. Izuku felt his stomach clench. "Is that what he calls you?"

Izuku blinked in confusion before he realized that this was the first time Shouto had heard Bakugou talk to him. He nodded slightly. "Yeah…why?"

Shouto's eyes were serious and a little sad, and but his tone was soft. "I know it's an insult, but to me, it sounds like it gives a vibe of 'never giving up'." Shouto said, sending Izuku a gentle smile.

The taller boy then lightly pushed Izuku's back, nudging him forward. "Do your best, Izuku. I know you can do it."

 _It sounds like it gives off a vibe of 'never giving up'._

 _Never giving up._

Izuku felt his eyes glisten when he gave the hot and cold teen the biggest smile he could muster. "Yeah! I'll give it everything I got!"

He surged on, filled with a new determination forming inside.

 **XXX**

Spring. Spring brought less cold days, more flowers and bees, and more annoying brats who thought that they had a shot at becoming a 'great' hero.

Sakura petals, sakura petals were everywhere and goddamn it, why were there so many of them?!

Tenko the janitor was grumbling as he swept them off the path from the gate to the school. Decked out in a dark blue uniform with the sleeves rolled up and sandals, it was no doubt that his appearance was strange and mismatching, especially with his gray hair and red eyes. He could feel the questioning stares of the new students, and he felt his irritation building every time someone gestured at him to the person beside them with a confused face.

He even heard some girl asking the other next to her, "Do you think he's a beggar?"

"He looks more like a poor dude working desperately for money." Another guy whispered to his friend.

He was not a damn beggar, but he was a poor dude working for money, and what in the hell was wrong with that?

He grumbled to himself as the broom in his hands worked furiously.

Just wait, he thought to himself. There was guy who looked even more hobo than he was, and he was a pro hero and teacher no less. That'll teach those brats to judge someone on their appearance.

A soft meow drew him out of his stupor, and he looked down to see one of the stray cats around U.A. at his feet. He let out a small sigh at the round eyes at it looked up at him, and he bent down to run his fingers through its gray fur. It purred happily and nipped lightly at his hand, and Tenko recalled which cat it was. It was Nip, the female cat that had a penchant for well, nibbling.

To be completely clear, he never actually called any of the cats he met with a certain name. He just named them in his head, he didn't want them knowing that they had names after all, what if they reacted?

"There, you happy you little nibbler?" Tenko was sure that all of his fingers never touched the innocent animal's body. "I don't know why Eraserhead keeps feeding you food every day. You're going to start begging all the staff members for food one day and become a fat one, you know that?"

He stopped stroking the cat and stood up, stretching to relieve the tension in his muscles. During his stretch though, he saw a student staring at them in the corner of his eye. He thought it was another annoying one judging him again, but when he actually made eye contact, the teen froze.

The owner of the stare was a tall boy with messy purple hair and similarly colored eyes with dark bags under them. He was stuck to the spot, as if he was unsure what to do. His eyes flickered between Tenko and the cat, and Tenko suddenly understood what was going on.

"Oi," He called out. The purple one jerked a little in surprise. "The eggplant over there! Yes, I'm talking about you, where else do you see a guy with purple hair?"

The teen blinked and made no signs of moving. He just stood there.

Tenko clicked his tongue. "If you wanna pet her, you might want to hurry it up. She's probably going to a certain dude's place soon for food."

The eggplant looked conflicted, but eventually, made his way towards Tenko and Nip. He bent down slowly as to not startle the gray cat and reached out his hand. Nip took a few sniffs and almost immediately pushed her nose into the teen's hand. The blank look on his face faded into one of slight relaxation, and Tenko just watched all of this with a raised eyebrow.

"…She's well mannered," The eggplant finally spoke. His voice was deeper than Tenko had imagined. His indigo gaze averted towards Tenko. "Is she yours?"

"She's a stray, you didn't hear the implications just now?" Tenko deadpanned.

"I guess not," The student ran his fingers through the cat's fur, a slight smile taking over his face now.

Tenko scratched the back of his head, not sure what to do now. "...Oi, what's your name?"

"Shinso Hitoshi," Eggplant replied. "What about you?"

"Shimura Tenko," Tenko muttered back, looking away. "You look like you crawled out of a graveyard."

Tenko saw the edges of his lips twitch a little from the corner of his vision. "…And you're one to be saying that?"

Tenko scowled. "Shut up. I'm not an 'aspiring' student of U.A. I'm the shit poor janitor. I have an excuse to be looking like this."

His hair was longer than he remembered, although it was as messy as ever. He supposed it was time to visit the barber's across the street again.

The small smile on the teen's face dropped. "When you're in the hero department maybe," His voice was bitter, and Tenko raised an eyebrow at that.

"You a general ed student?"

The hand petting Nip paused. Tenko took that sign as a yes.

"I don't have a flashy, power based quirk," Shinso spoke after a pause. "I couldn't defeat enough robots. Not like that green haired guy, anyway. He could punch through most of them, and I even had to be saved by him when that zero pointer appeared no less."

Green haired guy, huh? Tenko absentmindedly thought.

This year was quite popular between the staff, Tenko idly recalled. The r rated woman was squealing with delight when she saw the zero pointer being blasted away by a green haired boy, who did that to save another guy who was trapped under some debris.

("Shimura-kun, it was so youthful! You should have seen that!"

"I don't give a goddamn shit about that kind of stuff, now move before I stick this mop into your face."

"SHIMURA! There's gonna be a huge set of stars this year, you better be prepared!"

"Loud house, stop interrupting me when I'm trying to get rid of these robots. I might accidently throw one at you."

"Shimura."

"Aizawa."

"…This year's test was as illogical as last year's."

"Tell me about it. I have to put up with another bunch of hotshots.")

…Yeah, the testing system really needed to be revised, Tenko concluded. Not like he could do anything about it though.

"Kid, let me give you a piece of advice," Tenko started, bending down to pick up a few sakura petals on the ground. As soon as all of fingers made contact with them, the pink petals wilted, turning into a brittle, gray color before dispersing into the wind, dust following after. Shinso had watched all of this with a slightly surprised look on his face, his eyes focused on Tenko's fingers.

"Just because your quirk isn't power based, doesn't mean it's useless. You just need to find a way to make it useful. I know a couple of students who struggled because of their quirks, you're not that special or different."

Hell, the trio of brats, now known as the 'big three' had one of them like the eggplant. Tenko would never forget last year's sport's festival when the blonde lost his clothes in the middle of the race.

"If you show enough potential and work hard enough, you can transfer to the hero course after undergoing a few programs." Tenko then stood up, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking down at the teen. "If you want to be a 'good' hero, then you gotta figure out what else you can do with the power you were born with. Or else you'll never really become 'something else'."

He then grabbed his janitor cart and pushed it, walking away with a slight wave of his hand.

Tenko mentally applauded himself for not bending over and puking from the sappy crap he had sprouted out of his mouth. He really had to stay away from Togata, the blonde was affecting him more than he had thought.

That reminded him, apparently, another obnoxious blonde was going to be working at U.A. starting from today.

His mood dropped several degrees soon after. He was going to spend all his might avoiding the super hero no matter what.

 **XXX**

* * *

" _So…Hi?"_

I blinked staring at the figure in front of me.

" _Um, look, you gotta give me something to work with here. Stop looking at me like that!"_ The black figure in front of me started waving its (her?) arms around.

"…Who are you?"

" _Finally, the android reacted."_ The girl, or at least I guessed so, rolled her imaginary eyes. _"I'm you! Or a part of you anyway. The you before you were you!"_

I just tilted my head even further to the side.

" _You don't really have to understand now, I'm not even sure why I can suddenly interact with you too. Maybe the barrier between my area and yours weakened or something,"_ The black figure scratched her head. _"Anyway, just call me…Shadow! Like the hedgehog! Cause I'm the less angsty shadow to your emotionless Sonic!"_

My head was almost parallel to the ground at this point.

Shadow seemed to notice this too. _"Why are you looking at me like you're looking at a piece of modern art?"_

"…You exist in what I suppose to be my mind," I said. The strange landscape I was in was barren and bleak, empty with only the shadow existing. I recalled that I was asleep, and the most realistic conclusion was that this was all a dream.

But I wondered why it didn't feel like one.

"I don't recall myself being so…like Alter."

" _Cause you're not! I'm just the sealed off part of your mind because of that ass wipe crow."_ Shadow snorted. _"If you remembered me, we wouldn't be here in the first place."_

"So… you're the forgotten me?" I questioned with a doubtful look on my face. Shadow seemed amused by my reaction and let out a loud laugh.

" _Your face muscles are twitching! Damn it, you're horrible at making expressions, aren't you?"_

"I was banned for making even the slightest smile, what do you think?" My tone was nothing like I had ever heard before. I felt surprised, and then I was surprised at feeling surprised.

The shadow paused a bit before another face splitting grin appeared. Her smile was white in color compared to her blacked out silhouette, so it was a little creepy, to be honest.

" _That's my girl,"_ She spoke, her arms crossed in a proud fashion. _"Flaunt off that deadpan humor, yo."_

I had no idea how to react.

The world around us flashed a little, and my vision blurred. It returned to normal soon after.

" _Geez, you're going to wake up soon,"_ Shadow scratched the back of her head. _"I had a lot of stuff to tell you too. Oh well, this probably isn't the last time we'll meet. I'll keep on working on your memories, so just act normal and don't tell anyone about this, okay girl?"_

My memories?

I wasn't conscious when I spoke that out loud. Shadow nodded firmly. _"Your real memories. Wait just a bit, when you remember everything, I promise all the pain you feel before you faint will be gone. The feelings after you recall everything though… I'm not so sure. But hey, at least we'll get through it together."_

I felt my hands tremble. Shadow approached me, but she stopped at a few feet away. If I looked closely, I could see a shimmering wall like a barrier, separating us.

She put a black hand onto the barrier, her smile quivering but still intact. _"Don't worry, you're not alone. And for all that's worth, I'm glad that you found some great friends. I wouldn't have even thought of befriending them if I were still me."_

Alter. Blister. Double.

"…Yes," I muttered, feeling the edges of my lips inch upwards. "They are…good friends."

The world around us flashed, and I was absorbed into a bright light.

* * *

 **XXX**

I woke up blearily, my brain foggy.

I looked to the side to see a certain misty figure, and I recognized that person as Haze. I croaked out, an attempt to get him to realize I was awake, when my eyes drifted to the glass he held in his hand. It was filled with water I assumed, but I saw his other hand holding a small, white pill.

He stood like that for a while, as if he was not sure what to do. He then let out a deep sigh and pocketed the pill, turning towards me slowly. Not sure how to react, I closed my eyes and evened out my breath, faking slumber.

I felt his chilly hand brush over my face, pushing my hair out of it.

"…Zero," I heard him whisper, but it was unlike any tone I had ever heard him use. It was sad, melancholic and tired, as if the years he lived had finally taken a toll on him. I felt his hand ruffle my hair, and I almost choked because of how gentle he handled me.

Haze was my caretaker, a person I had known since I had woken up, but I knew nothing about him.

I heard him put down the glass of water on the table next to me and his footsteps as he walked out. When the door shut close and when I sensed no presence in my room, I finally opened my eyes and looked to the side. Pushing myself up from the bed, I grabbed the glass of water and drank slowly.

The girl from my dream, the one who called herself Shadow. She spoke of my memories, the memories that I had lost. She said that she was sealed by a crow, by…

I bit my lip, clenching my fist.

No, no, it could not be. If that was the case, then Haze…All of them, what if…?

I exhaled, putting back the empty glass and slumped back onto my bed. I closed my eyes, putting my arm over them as I breathed steadily.

Green eyes with a desperate glint. Red eyes with a broken pride.

The memory of the two boys flashed across my thoughts, and I pushed myself further into my covers.

* * *

 **Boom. It took me some time, but I did it!**

 **Izuku has inherited All for One ten months earlier than his canon self! He can use 5% and his body is a little taller and muscular than canon, but he looks relatively the same except with shorter hair. As implied, he aces the practical test with only a few injures here and there, meets Tenya who still remembers him and is ecstatic to meet the boy he swore friendship with, and gets a new meaning to his nickname courtesy of Shouto. Bro power, yo.**

 **Shouto made contact with the bad side of his family. I don't know if any of my readers remember, but I wrote a scene where Shouto used to get random, scary calls from strangers when he was young. Those were Mafioso, looking for Shouto. Since that his mother is from a powerful hitman family and his father was the second strongest hero in Japan, I figured that that would draw a lot of attention from people, good and bad. Kogori mentioned that he was being looked after by some of his mom's relatives. Remember the two people who looked similar to Fuyuka that delivered the ridiculous outfits to Ochako and Shouto when they were going to storm Endeavor?**

 **Because Shouto is a thawed out muffin, he is nicer to Inasa. As a result, Inasa stays and will attend U.A. He will become good buddies with Shouto and Izuku, and Eijiro, I think. He's the one to fill the missing Ochako's spot.**

 **Background time for the LOV! Well, only for Himiko. She inherited her yandere from her mother. We get a glimpse of the true Ochako and Haze's feelings towards Zero and the whole situation. Dare I say, we are getting closer to the outcome that we are all waiting for?!**

 **Tenko, Shinso and Aizawa can form the zombie trio. Someone, give me fan art for this!**

 **We are getting closer, but I think there are probably two or so chapters before the amazing things happen. Get ready, because it's going to get more bombastic from here.**

 **Thank you to all my fantastic readers! Love you guys~**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	23. Chapter 22: The conflicts of two sides

**Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA (MHA)**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 22: The conflicts of two sides**

The clouds weren't supposed to be this gray, he thought. It was supposed to be a sunny day; at least, that was what the weather forecast said from the radios held by people passing by.

Disappointment seeped into him as he let out a heavy sigh, closing the item in his hands. It was such a shame; he was looking forward to reading his new book as well. It was a bit tattered, the words on some of the pages fading, but it was the best thing he had managed to find that day.

He heard footsteps approach him, and he looked up. There was man in front of him. He was tall, covered in black, and his face obscured from view by a mask. The man stopped in front of him and crouched down, and for some strange reason, he had a feeling that the man was smiling.

"Hello there," his voice was deep, ancient in a way, and it sent shivers up his spine. "What are you doing outside, young boy? It's going to rain soon."

"I thank you for your concern," he answered uneasily, testing out the new words he learned. Although he wasn't going to school, it was no excuse to use poor language, he chanted to himself, especially if you were talking to certain types of people. "But I do not have anywhere to go. I was planning to take shelter under a random building until you came to talk to me."

The man chuckled, his voice sending tremors that vibrated the air around them. "I see. Well, it seems to be that I have a spare room in my home. Why don't you spend the day there?"

He nearly dropped his book in shock. The stranger in front of him was offering a place for someone like him? What were the odds? But as soon as his hope came, it disappeared just as quickly. This man had an alter motive. That would be the only explanation.

"I…I thank you, but, I'm afraid I must decline," he muttered, his grip tightening on his possession.

The man chuckled once more, his tone never changing. "You do not have to worry. I swear that I wouldn't do anything to harm you. I simply cannot leave a poor child like you alone when a storm is brewing. Why don't you take shelter until the rain lets up at least? You don't have to stay there longer than necessary. Besides, I'm sure that you wouldn't want your precious book to get wet."

He hesitated again. It was too much of a coincidence, it was too much of a blessing, it was too suspicious, he knew, but the thought of a roof over his head when the raging weather arrived sounded absolutely heavenly.

He didn't want to die, but…it wasn't like he had much to lose either.

He agreed in the end, just as small drops of rain started falling from the sky. The edges of the mask where the man's eyes probably were crinkled, as if he was smiling. The man stretched out a hand, and although hesitant, he reached out and touched it. It was wrinkled, scarred, and terrifyingly cold.

 _This man was dangerous,_ something deep inside of him rumbled.

But as a child with no family, with no place to belong to, he didn't know what to do.

So he followed, turning a blind eye to all his suspicions, and the black smoke trailed after.

 **XXX**

 _Slash._

 _Slash._

 _Rip._

 _Screams. Shrieks. Yells of fear, of pain, of misery._

 _More. More. Give me more._

 _I need more._

 _Slash._

 _Rip._

 _Stab._

 _Not enough. I need more, more, moremoremoremoremoremore-_

Himiko let out a high pitched giggle, her eyes dilating as she looked at the blood on her knife, her clothes, her hair. The bodies she was sitting on weren't moving anymore. Too tired or too much loss of blood, she wasn't sure.

She looked down, trailing a bloody shoe against one of the faces of her victims, leaving a bright red path that matched the slashes on his face. "Hehe, men look so much better like this. Bloody, beaten, so much perfection."

She reached down and dug her hand into the pile of bloody bodies, feeling the red liquid smother her fingers. She wrenched it out soon later, a loud squelch accompanying it, and brought it up to admire the way the red seemed to glow under the moonlight.

"Pretty," she cooed as she brought her blood dripping fingers to her mouth, sucking. The raw, unique metallic taste alone was enough to make her body shiver in ecstasy. This was why she couldn't get enough of it. It wasn't the screams, the pain; the torture that those people had to endure, no, Himiko was no sadist. It was simply because of the red liquid running through their veins.

She wondered how many people she had hunted on this beautiful, moonlight night.

 _Twenty? Thirty? The numbers blurred after ten._

 _But it wasn't enough. No, it wasn't._

 _She needed more._

Feeling a grin creep up onto her face, she licked her blade clean of blood before sheathing it. Jumping off of the pile of human bodies, she took off in a random direction, dodging the trees and shrubbery along the way. Some managed to nick her in a few places, but she hardly cared.

She was a girl on a mission after all. Small things didn't matter.

After a few minutes, her ears managed to pick up the sounds of heels on concrete. Himiko stopped in her path, concentrating. The steps were uncoordinated, clumsy, and she could hear faint giggles and small hiccups. A woman, she guessed, most likely drunk. It wasn't exactly her taste, but the urge was too strong to resist. Her interest was already piqued. She already picked up on a potential prey, and her willpower was never strong enough to resist temptation.

She followed the sound. Soon enough, she reached the end of the trees and thick bushes, and found herself up on a cliff of some sorts. Beneath her, a few cars ran across the concrete roads. She searched diligently for her next victim, and managed to spot a figure coming her way.

Himiko was right, it was a woman. She was dressed in a rumpled, gray suit, her dark black locks all over the place as she walked. Although her eyes were half-lidded, Himiko could see striking blue. She was attractive for a woman, Himiko supposed.

"That damn Hizashi~" the woman hiccup, pouting slightly. "I invited all of them for a drink, and no one showed up! Party pooper Aizawa and Ten-chan I can expect, but Hizashi?! How do they live with themselves?!"

Drunk. Absolutely drunk, Himiko concluded. An easy prey, really. She wondered what this woman would look like bathed in her blood.

 _Red. Beautiful red, like spider lilies blooming across her fair skin as her knife dug into flesh._

Himiko shuddered. Her hand whipped out with her knife unsheathed, and she pounced.

"Hi," she crooned loudly. The woman only had a split second to see her falling towards her before Himiko's knife dug into her shoulder. The momentum of her fall caused the blade to slice downwards, cutting open the flesh of the woman's arm. Himiko heard a blood curdling scream before she felt herself being pushed away.

At the same time, a strange pink mist started to wafer in the air.

Himiko immediately jumped further away from the woman, covering her mouth with her bloodied sleeve. If it was one common sense that Himiko was aware of, it was to not breathe in strange colored chemicals. She kept her eyes focused on the lady, her knife poised and ready to strike.

There was something strange about the woman though. Although her right hand was pushing against the wounded shoulder as blood dripped, she wasn't stumbling or screaming anymore. Her posture was steady, her breathing slightly ragged, but otherwise, she was fine.

 _How odd._

 _Why? Why wasn't she screaming in pain?_

Himiko could only push up the scarf wrapped around her neck to cover her mouth when the woman looked up.

Her eyes weren't unfocused or blurry. They were looking straight forward at her, clear as a sunny day.

Her bloodlust filled, hazy mind managed to make out on coherent thought.

 _Enemy._

"My, I didn't think that I would be attacked this early," the woman huffed, tearing off a piece of her suit. She proceeded to wrap the wound on her shoulder, her clear blue eyes never straying away from Himiko. "Then again, I didn't think the attacker would be a young girl like you as well. It seems like you're smart enough not to inhale my mist, I see."

Himiko didn't speak. She was wary now; all the hairs on her body were standing up like a guarded cat. Her knife out and positioned in front of her, Himiko kept her body leveled to the ground, her yellow eyes narrowed in caution.

"Young lady, as the hero Midnight, I come here to apprehend you," the woman pulled out a red whip with split ends, and brought it down on her direction.

The loud smack of it against the pavement was enough to set off a trigger in Himiko's head.

 _Strong. She's strong. She's also a hero, a disgusting hero._

 _Her beautiful blood, wouldn't it be useful one day?_

 _I want it._

 _Attack._

A wild grin split across Himiko's face, and without warning, she pounced. Stripping the knives fastened around her thighs out of their sheaths, Himiko flung them in the woman's direction. The heroine let out a surprised sound, but immediately moved to dodge them. However, she wasn't fast enough to avoid all of them, and one or two managed to scrape her body. Crimson liquid started appearing slowly, but it was not enough for Himiko to gather yet.

She took off, kicking the pavement with her dominant foot and rushed towards the black haired woman. Taking out the knives hidden beneath her clothing, Himiko slashed at every available skin. The woman wasn't one to back down though. She maneuvered swiftly without useless movements, and because of that Himiko could only scrape her a few times. The woman aimed a kick at her stomach which she was fortunate enough to see, and jumped to avoid it. In that moment, Himiko threw another knife at the woman's thigh with deadly accuracy, and it managed to stab her. The heroine let out a loud guttered scream, and thick red liquid dripped out of her wound.

Himiko quickly took out a small container and scooped up what she could. It wasn't much, because the woman managed to react quickly and got in a hit. Her whip smacked Himiko across her face and she almost lost her grip on her cylinder. Her mouth threatened to open, and it was then when Himiko realized she had been holding her breath for quite a while now.

During the fight, the pink mist around them seemed to get thicker. It appeared to be coming out of that woman's body, or more specifically, the uncovered parts of her. Since Himiko had slashed away at her clothing as well, the smoke was rapidly increasing in the air. Even in her mudded mind, she could make out the fact that it was probably best if she ran. But her raw, unbridled desire was telling her to keep going, to cut open that woman's body to get more access to her blood. A strong thing like her would certainly have tasty blood for sure.

It was enough to keep her going. So she rushed at the woman again, determined to simply get more out of her until she couldn't hold her breath any longer.

But she didn't make it. Some strong and firm snaked around her wrist from behind, pulling her back. Soon, the material wrapped around her torso and knees, keeping her arms to her side as her legs were rendered useless as well. She fell to the ground, almost biting her tongue as she did so.

"Midnight," a muffled voice said from behind. "Are you alright?"

"I'm..." the woman in front of her let out a shaky breath. "Fine, Eraserhead. How about the girl?"

"I captured her. The police should be here any moment."

The police? She was caught? Oh no, what could she do? She couldn't be captured, not when there were so many preys out there for her. Not when she still craved for blood. Himiko tried moving parts of her body. Her fingers. They weren't bind together. Her hands were close to her thigh. There was a small knife still sheathed there.

She worked silently. Her fingers grasping the hilt, she managed to pull it out, but in the process, cut her hand when she had to touch the blade. She angled her head to the side, to pinpoint where the person binding her was. It was obviously a man. He was clothed in black except for the scarf-looking material around his neck and hands. His eyes were obscured with thick, yellow goggles of sorts, and a gas mask covered his mouth and nose.

He wasn't far. She could do it.

She summoned as much power as she could into her fingers, and flicked the blade into the direction of his thigh.

It sunk right in. The man let out a surprised curse and looked down to see his wound. Because it was a small knife, it didn't do much, but Himiko was hoping that the material binding her would loosen, even just a bit.

It didn't. Himiko blinked in shock.

The man let out another grumble and pulled out the knife. It was coated with blood, and some dripped from the edge, but he was relatively calm. "Did you think a trick like this would help? Too bad. I'm not amateur enough that I would let my guard down even if something small like this gets me."

Huh. Too bad, huh.

This man was strong too. By the way his long black hair was ruffled and messy as well as his clothes, Himiko could guess that he was just as ragged beneath that mask of his.

It was coming. The small sparks of interest and bubbling of desire. She could feel it. Her face was getting warm, her mouth was slowly quivering, and her body was shivering with anticipation.

 _What a lovely man._

A lust filled grin took over her mouth as Himiko smiled up at him.

Before anyone could do anything though, a dark black hole appeared beneath her. It was hazy and cold, but so familiar to Himiko that she finally let out a breathy laugh. The portal sucked her in, bindings and all, and she only got a glimpse of red eyes before it closed on them, cutting off the white bandage looking material.

She landed with a thump in the middle of the sofa in their hideout. She saw Haze behind the counter, his hands out with black mist billowing. She saw Double rush towards her in panic and worry, but Blister or Zero was nowhere to be seen.

She didn't mind. Her mind was occupied elsewhere.

"Alter, are you well?" Haze asked with his voice blank. Himiko blinked once, turned to look at him, and broke out in another smile.

"Haze-san? I met a wonderful person today," her voice was dreamy, faint, and full of bloodlust. "I hope I can see him again."

The edges of her vision went black.

 **XXX**

 _Knock knock._

"Hey, ya in there? I'm coming in!"

Reito barely had a moment to register the situation when five needles impaled on the wall next to him. Letting out a small yelp, he turned his curious gaze to the assaulter in the room. "Kou, I literally just said hello."

"Get out," the shorter white haired boy muttered, tapping away at his keyboard. "I'm busy. I finally hacked into the school's database and I don't need any more distractions."

"Gee, as sharp tongued as ever," Reito grinned widely as he made himself comfortable. Grabbing a rolling chair, he pulled up next to the younger Hibiki who didn't take his eyes away from his monitor. Opening the packet of potato chips he had brought in, the older Hibiki munched away as he proceeded to ask Kogori questions. "So, how far ya've gone?"

"I'm getting the video recorded during the entrance exam right now. It's downloading." Kogori let out a small sigh as he held out his left hand. Reito just nodded and slapped a stack of chips onto it.

"So, who're we looking for again?"

"Did you not hear me the last three times I explained it in such detail?"

"Nah, nah, I did, was just asking for confirmation and all that shit," Reito leaned backwards.

Kogori let out another sigh, this time heavier than before. "A boy named Midoriya Izuku. He's supposed to be our cousin's best friend."

"Uh huh, I remember… why are we looking for him again?"

"Because when push comes to shove, we can use the information against- why should I bother explaining when you are going to forget anyway."

Reito grumbled, stretching out his legs. "I don't get it. Why can't we just slice him up like always?"

"Because our motive is not assassination, half-brother," Kogori retorted, finally peeling his gaze away to look at his slumping sibling. "Merely persuasion."

"For what? For him to join the dark side? He wants to be a hero, don't he?"

"He does not know of our family, nor does he know about the work his father had done to contact us," Kogori simply replied. "Auntie doesn't want him to know, she plans on keeping her life a secret forever while sending out spies to guard him."

Reito hunched forward, a serious glint taking over his coal eyes for once. "And ya think that's wrong, don'tcha?"

"It is not fair to keep one's heritage a secret," Kogori answered stiffly, averting his gaze. At this, Reito's serious look broke out into a teasing one, his grin crooked as one of his eyebrows raised.

"I get it now. Ya just want to lessen some of auntie's burdens, eh?"

Kogori's eyebrow twitched. "I do not-"

"By exposing her secret in secret," Reito continued, oblivious to his younger sibling's reaction. "Ya plan on making her son accept her, so that he can tell her he knows about her so that she can be relieved, and in the end return to her true home so that she won't be pressured to carry everything again," Reito deduced.

"But ya forgetting one little thing, lil'bro," his tone morphed quietly. "What if he doesn't accept her? And if he knows, ya know the danger the lil' one will be in. Do ya honestly think he can fend for himself? He ain't us."

"That is where we come in," Kogori's voice was hardened. "I've already introduced myself to him. You should as well."

"Kou, ya're crazy."

"Funny how you are no different from me."

"S'not true. I'm less of an auntie-con than ya are."

"The fact that you agreed on this mission speaks volumes."

"Pssh…"

A beat of silence.

"By the way, who're we looking for again?"

The sound of a head smacking onto computer keys resounded in the room.

 **XXX**

Alter was out for three days. When she woke up, she acted as if she was in a daze. She kept talking about a man in black and she wished to carve him up. Blister was not coming out of his room. He didn't give away any information on what he was working on either, he only seemed to get more frustrated by the day. Double was acting strangely; he seemed to be going in and out of his modes. One minute he was peppy, the next he was depressingly sad, and then he became so irritated and frustrated that he locked himself in his room too. It went without saying that my blackouts weren't getting better as well.

We were a horrible mess. I didn't think things could get any worse.

Until he had appeared in front of me one day with no warning at all.

I was in my room when the door to my room was knocked on. I got up from my bed without answering and quietly made my way to it. When I opened it, that man with the crow's mask was standing in front of me. Goosebumps appeared on my skin before I knew it.

"Zero," Boss had said, his hooded golden eyes digging into me. "Come. Your father wishes to meet with you in person."

I hadn't noticed that my throat was dry until I spoke up. "Father? Why…now?"

"He merely wishes to talk to you in person instead of a screen," his voice was as smooth as I remembered. "Is that too much to ask for?"

I swallowed, biting my lip slightly as I willed myself to stay calm. "No, sir."

"Good. Now, follow me," he gestured for me to follow him out of the building and into his car. I obeyed and did as he told me, keeping my posture straight and rigid as the driver drove us to headquarters. It was an uneventful ride. He didn't even turn on the radio.

When we arrived at the cold, metal entrance, Boss wrapped a cloth around my eyes to act as a blindfold. He guided me with a hand on my back, as if reminding me that one suspicious move would send every part of my body flying away. It was a silent threat, a precaution, and although I had already suspected it, his actions told me that no matter how many years I spent serving this man, he would never trust me. It was a bone chilling truth.

After we exited from what felt like an elevator, my steps started to echo more. It seemed as if I was walking down a long hallway. It felt like hours later when Boss knocked on something that sounded like a metal wall, and a heavy sound accompanying it when, I assumed, it opened. It must have been a door.

The blindfold came off. The room I was in was awfully dark, and the only light source was coming from a large tube that had liquids bubbling in it in the middle of the room. From that tube extended small, wire-like contraptions as they connected to a big, black chair that was facing backwards towards me. Or, more like, to the thing in the chair.

"I will leave you here with your daughter," Boss's voice echoed from above my head as his hand left my back. He turned on his heel to leave, and before I knew it, the entrance was closed and the light from the hallway stopped streaming in, making the whole atmosphere much more…sinister.

I had to stop myself from fidgeting. For a strange reason, my fingers would start to wander as did my gaze, and I caught myself tapping my foot at times that weren't even necessary. I wondered why I had a problem when I could stand as stiff as a board before.

"Zero, my lovely daughter," a voice rumbled. "It's so good to finally see you in person."

My fists clenched. My toes curled. My back straightened, and all of a sudden, I felt as if I could not move. His voice, it was deep, calm, soothing even, but there was something in his tone that told me this man was hiding more things that I could ever imagine. Something evil, something dark was swirling inside of this man. Hearing how he sounded like in person was completely different from hearing him beyond the screen.

My tongue was stuck. I could not speak.

"What is the matter? Come closer, you're making your father so sad," a heavy, disappointed tone took over. All my instincts told me to run, but I pushed them down and took cautious steps towards the chair.

"I'm…sorry," I somehow managed to force my voice out. "I am just…overwhelmed. I have not seen you for the past five years."

"Ah, I supposed that is true. I would have arranged for you to meet me earlier, but I didn't want to frighten you," he chuckled. "My appearance is quite ghastly, to put it nicely. Come beside me, I'm afraid this chair is not able to rotate very well."

I did exactly as he told me. Every step I took was light and cautious, and I tried to keep my heart calm and steady. When I finally made it around the chair to see his real form, I nearly stepped back in shock.

His face; he had no eyes to see from nor did he have a nose to smell with. Everything up from his mouth was a mess of scarred tissue that covered his entire head and stretched until the back of his neck. His lips were chapped, but his mouth was set in a slight smile, as if he was pleased to see me. There were many tubes that were jabbed into his skin, one his face and on his neck.

I had to force myself to stay calm once more. 'Ghastly' was not the appropriate term for this man.

"Hello, my dear Zero," his lips lifted upwards once more. "I would say that you are a sight for sore eyes, but alas…"

"It's…It's a pleasure, to see you in person too," I bowed my head, hoping he did not see my barely quivering hands.

"Come now child, call me 'father', like you used to. I miss hearing you say that."

I did not want to. It was an irrational, meaningless emotion that welled up in me, but I simply did not want to address this man as 'father'. There was something so off about how that sounded.

But I was this man's 'daughter', and if Boss found out I disobeyed him, who knows what would happen to me.

"…Father."

His mouth slowly formed into a grin. "Yes, yes that will do. Let's start talking, shall we? There is a seat behind you, I'm sure you've noticed. I want to hear what wasn't included in the reports your boss told me. He can be too professional sometimes."

I looked behind me to see a small stool. I gingerly sat down on it, half expecting a trap of some sorts to appear out of nowhere, but nothing happened.

"So, how is the League recently? I've heard some unsettling things about your team's condition."

"We are…less put together than I hoped we would be," I slowly started speaking. "Individually. We all have our own set of problems. I believe that it will work out some time in the future though."

A lie. I did not know why I lied. Maybe it was just a silly wish of mine, hoping that we could all go back to how it was before I started blacking out.

 _Maybe it's because I didn't want him to know exactly what was going on._

"I see," his smile dimmed ever so slightly. "Are you bothered by this?"

"We can complete our missions well enough," I replied. "There are no major setbacks. Their problems are no concern of mine when we can work together without distractions."

His smile was starting to look less like a smile. "I see."

Our conversation continued for a while. I would respond when he asked me questions. I never said anything out of line, never did anything rude and obeyed all his wishes. That was our relationship since the day we met. This was not a normal father and daughter relationship; at least, it was nothing like the ones that I saw on TV.

But, it wasn't as if I knew anything about family relationships anyway.

My time with him would come to an end eventually. Until then, I just had to listen to his every word. I was trained to obey orders, this was nothing new.

However, the more I spoke with him, the more I found out that I wasn't really obeying him, at least, not to a full extent.

When it came to the League, to my recent condition, I realized that I had lied about everything.

 **XXX**

Izuku had thought that taking almost a year to train his quirk would have made it easier for him to not overuse it.

As usual, thinking about your quirk and actually having a super powered one inside of you were two completely different things.

"Young Midoriya, repeat what I have been telling you for the past ten months," All Might had put his hands on his hips with a frown that day. It was two days after he received his notice that he passed the entrance exam.

Izuku, with his already recovering arm slung in a cast, averted his eyes and laughed sheepishly. "Take care of my body?"

"And?"

"Don't overexert myself?"

"And?"

"…Be sure to take vitamins and sleep eight hours every day?"

All Might let out a heavy sigh and a defeated grimace took over his face. "Young Midoriya, I have told you many times to be careful when you try to use more than five percent of your power! That stunt at the end was far too risky!"

Izuku winced as he recalled what had happened. It all happened so suddenly. During the examination, Izuku had mostly been using five percent as he aimed for the vital parts of the robots to take them down. The robots weren't designed to be too hard to break, so it was relatively smooth sailing. He even managed to rip off an arm of a three-pointer that he used as a weapon in mid-way. He suffered a few bruises and cuts here and there, but it was nothing compared to the few times he broke his bones.

It was at the end when the problem arose. The zero-pointer appeared. It was huge and looked like one of the AI robots that appeared in the Sci-fi movie he and Shouto had watched a week ago. Izuku originally planned to run away while taking down more robots, but he saw a purple haired boy being stuck until debris. He was in the path of the zero-pointer, and if he couldn't move, he would have been squashed.

Izuku couldn't let that slide. His legs had took off before he even thought of moving. In his fit of sudden adrenaline and determination, he had unconsciously used a hundred percent of his quirk and flew, before focusing his power on his arm and smashed the robot to bits. When he was hurdling towards the ground, he had miraculously managed to calm his thundering heart enough to calculate the distance, and used his other hand to create a soft shock to the ground before he became a splattered glob. It wasn't exactly precise though, so he had a few broken bones here and there. He was alive at least.

He had never been so glad for Recovery girl. Granted, he had been introduced to her before and had been under her care the past months, but he had honestly thought he was going to die. So it was completely justified for All Might to act like a worried father around him.

Father. That was something Izuku never thought he would have thought.

"I'm sorry All Might, I just…I couldn't leave that boy alone. If that were a real situation, I would've done the exact same thing."

"I know that you are extremely selfless, young boy, and I certainly admire that spirit of yours" the look in All Might's blue eyes softened. "But please consider the situation more thoroughly. It was a good thing that your mother had not seen you, I cannot keep sending her apology fruit baskets every time you go home looking like you are now."

He had to do that about three times. His mother never actually met All Might, but since that he had put a card in the basket introducing himself as Izuku's 'absolutely legit mentor', she knew about him. He was right though, they already had at least a box of oranges and apples because the basket was American sized.

Izuku bowed his head to his mentor. "I know. I promise I'll be more careful from now on."

All Might was silent for a while, but when Izuku felt a hand on top of his head, he knew that he was forgiven. "All right my boy. Please take it easy, no more intense training or sparring until you enter high school, alright?"

So Izuku stuck to basic muscle training for two weeks. He hung out at Shouto's house and watched him train his quirk along the way. His arm healed well enough, there were a few scars here and there, but it was fully functional by the time his first day at high school came.

His first day was interesting. Class 1-A was full of eccentric people. He was already practically glued to Shouto as the taller boy was to him when they met up, but Yoarashi welcomed himself right into their group. The loud boy was really, really loud, but he had a good heart and his passion towards heroism was almost even more than Izuku's. There was another tall guy who covered his face with a mask and had many arms (?), a guy with bright red hair and shark teeth, a pink skinned girl with hair that looked similar to his previous hairstyle, and a whole lot more.

On a less chipper tone, Bakugou was in his class as well. There was a pleasant surprise though. When Izuku had entered the classroom, the blonde was talking back to a dark haired teen who was telling him to take his feet off of the desk. After he had told Bakugou of his fill, he had turned around to introduce himself, but his eyes lightened with recognition when he saw Izuku's face.

"Midoriya-kun! As I expected, it is you!"

"Wha-what?" Izuku blinked in surprise and confusion. "You…know me?"

"Why yes, of course! How could I ever forget my first friend?" The bespectacled boy tilted his head, a genuine smile on his face. It then clicked in his brain. He knew this person; he had met him before, at the Annual Hero Gala that took place five years ago.

Five years ago. Time sure flew by.

"…Tenya-kun?" Izuku had said uncertainly, and he was relieved when the light in the taller boy's eyes shone brighter than before.

"Yes! I had actually spotted you during the practical exam, but I was not too confident that the person I saw was you back then," he explained, pushing up his glasses. "When I saw the way that you selflessly rushed in to save that boy back then however, I knew it was you. You have not changed at all."

Izuku blinked and hesitantly pointed to himself. "I…didn't change? Do you think so?"

Iida nodded fervently. "You offered to become my friend even though you did not know who I was. Your selfless heart is still the same, I am sure of it. I admit though, I was…"

He had hesitated slightly before continuing. "I was slightly…afraid that you did not remember me."

Izuku felt guilt stab his heart. It was nearly true, although Izuku had decided to become friends with Iida; he never really followed up on it. True, they didn't even exchange contacts, but he had completely forgotten about his existence up until now. The only excuse he could make was that a lot had happened during that year that they had met, but it wasn't enough to stop the overflowing emotions of guilt in him.

"I'm sorry I never contacted you, a lot happened during these past five years," Izuku confessed, scratching his cheek lightly. "That doesn't mean we can't be friends properly starting from now though. I promise I'll be a better friend, Tenya-kun."

Iida had stared at him for a while, as if unsure what to do. Izuku lightly smiled before stretching out a hand. "Let's start over. I'm Midoriya Izuku, I'm fifteen years old, I like to eat Katduon and my favorite pastime is analyzing heroes and watching movies," his smile widened. "Nice to meet you again!"

The expression on Iida's face morphed into something warmer. He reached back and shook Izuku's hand, a small smile on his face as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Midoriya-kun. My name is Iida Tenya, I'm fifteen as well. My favorite food is beef stew, and my favorite pastime is to study. I hope…we can become good friends."

It was a good start, Izuku thought. He had reunited with an old acquaintance, Shouto was in his class, and his classmates didn't seem mean, albeit a little loud. Bakugou didn't try to pay attention to him either, rather he seemed like he was just staring off to space.

The quirk assessment test that was suddenly taking place because of their haggardly looking homeroom teacher flew by as well. Izuku was careful not to overuse his quirk too much. He focused his power on his stomach during the sit-ups, legs during the fifty meter dash (Iida was so fast), and mostly did the same with the others. He focused his quirk on a part of his body that was going to be mainly used.

He didn't say a word about it, but the way Bakugou had looked at him when he first used his quirk unsettled him. He looked like he was going to scream and slug his face at any time. Izuku refused to admit defeat though; he made sure the blonde knew that by looking straight into his eyes without backing down.

Besides Bakugou, a small, interesting thing happened during the ball throw.

"Oi, brats," an oddly familiar voice echoed from behind them. "The hell do you think you're doing?"

The entire class whipped around to see a man dressed as in a dark blue janitor outfit. His gray hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, his red eyes were practically bloodshot and he was glaring at all of them as if they were spawns from hell, but Izuku immediately knew who he was.

"Tenko-san?" Shouto voiced out from beside him. It seemed like Izuku wasn't the only one.

"Huh?" The taller man directed his gaze towards them, his eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, shit. It's you two. Wait, the three of you are here?" His eyes darted towards somewhere else in the crowd, and Izuku realized that he had noticed Bakugou as well. "Fuck. I ain't got enough lives to deal with this shit. Eraserhead! I'm not picking up those balls later! Some of them flew into the pool, and you know how disgusting that place is when it's not cleaned yet!"

Eraserhead? Izuku whipped his head to stare at his homeroom teacher who looked like he crawled out of a drain. This man was Eraserhead? The underground hero?

Izuku needed to work on his observatory skills.

"Eraserhead? You mean, he's a hero too?" Someone whispered.

"I mean, he has to be since he's working at U.A., but I don't know that name!"

"I think I have! He's an angler-type hero!"

"Wait, who's that guy anyway? A janitor?"

"He looks like a common thug."

Izuku could practically see a vein pop out of Tenko's head. "I can hear you, damn brats. Looks like U.A.'s got another set of cocky wannabe's. Fuck, I'm out of here."

"See you later, Tenko-san." Shouto said. Izuku never really interacted with the older man, but he knew that he was Ochako's beloved older brother. So he smiled and bowed as the ash haired man spared a look behind his back.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever ketchup snowflake, little green bean," he waved his hand carelessly as he trudged off, twirling the broom in his hands. It looked old, beat up, and not very useful. Knowing his personality, Izuku wondered if Tenko had used it as a weapon before.

Small giggles and laughter spread as the janitor left. Some were glancing over at them. A heavy hand greeted Izuku's shoulder soon after.

"Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun! Do you know that man?" Yoarashi asked curiously.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, we-"

"Enough chit-chat," Aizawa interrupted, the crease between his eyebrows even more prominent than before. "We're in the middle of the assessment. The next student, hurry up."

The ball test went out fine thanks to his quirk. He managed to avoid last place, though in the end, the threat of expulsion was revealed to be a ruse by their teacher to push them harder. Izuku wasn't so sure that it was a lie at the start though, he let it pass.

Lunch was fun, and surprisingly, exciting. When he had entered high school, he expected to eat lunch with Shouto alone. But Yoarashi invited himself, so Izuku had invited Tenya, and the four of them sat together as they ate. Izuku surprisingly managed to get into a conversation about All Might with the loud boy, and of course, he talked about Ingenium with Iida. Shouto mostly sat quietly and ate, but the smile on his face was visible. He'd even add in a small quip or two.

It was fun, he had fun. He had fun with other people either than Shouto. For some reason, Izuku felt as if his world had enlarged by a lot. He had people he could call friends. He was in the top school at the east of Japan.

People really do change, huh. Izuku smiled to himself as he took another bite of his meat.

 **XXX**

Kirishima Eijiro liked to think that he was a guy with a big heart. He treated others with kindness, respect, and was sure to donate at least a fourth of his allowance to the poor. He rarely got angry at others except when it was absolutely necessary.

This guy however, was something else.

"Move," the irritated blonde had snapped at him at the doorway. "You're in my way."

"Woah, dude, sorry!" Eijiro had held up his hands in apology. "You don't have to be so cranky."

The red eyed teen merely growled at him before purposely pushing past him with his shoulder. Eijiro kept his gaze on the back of the scowling teen. He'd seen his fair share of ill-tempered people, but this guy was probably the worst. He tried to recall his name; it might have been the one ranked first at the quirk assessment test.

Baku…hatsu? Gou? Bakugou? That sounded right.

Bakugou. Bakugou…Katsumi? No, no, Bakugou Katsuki. At least, he thought it was something like that.

Eijiro had seen him first at the classroom. He was foulmouthed, brash and had a very bad temper. He seemed to snarl at every moving being. The way the talked back to the glasses wearing dude, the way he had a killer look directed towards the green haired dude during the test told Eijiro a lot.

He wasn't so sure about having that kind of guy as a classmate, but who was he to judge? He barely knew the guy after all.

A pink flash tore his attention away from his thoughts as Ashido casually passed by him. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes were questioning, as if asking how he was after that small unpleasant encounter.

He flashed her a small smile, his shark teeth slightly poking out, and she returned the smile before dashing off, probably heading to the cafeteria. He stretched lightly, about to head out to the cafeteria himself, when a yellow haired guy approached him.

"Hey, dude, a few of us are going to grab a bite at the cafeteria, you wanna join? I'm Kaminari Denki by the way!" Eijiro returned his bright smile with one of his own.

"Sure dude, I don't mind! Was planning to head there myself! I'm Kirishima Eijiro, nice to meet'ya!"

"Yeah, you too! Oh, by the way, that black haired guy with tape dispensers coming out of elbows is Sero Hanta, and the guy with the bandana is Awase Yousetsu!" The two of them waved when Kaminari did the same, and Eijiro waved as well. The four of them chatted as they walked, and Eijiro was relieved that he had managed to make some friends.

Although there were some surprising happenings, Eijiro was looking forward to his life at his new high school.

It was then when the alarms sounded, and a few minutes later, the hallway they were in filled with frantic, yelling students.

 **XXX**

"I got the data, Zero-chan~" Alter cooed as she twirled around in her chair at the bar. "It was so easy! I didn't think the blood I stole from that lady was going to be useful!"

"Yeah, who knew? I totally did!" Double finger gunned her as she squealed in playfulness. Blister was silent as usual, idly drumming his fingers on the counter as his blue eyes focused on me.

"Thank you, Alter," I replied, skimming through the information on the computer screen. "I'll admit. I did not expect Boss to give us a mission like this."

"Infiltrate the top school of Japan? How boring! I can't wait!"

"He told me there's a target, a very important one that is in the school."

"So, as usual, we have to kill them?" Blister drawled out.

"I-" I stopped in my tracks. My eyes were focused on that certain piece of information. Alter noticed my sudden pause and scooted over, her yellow eyes following the direction of my gaze.

"All Might? He's in the faculty of U.A.?" She tilted her head, squinting. Blister twitched, Double let out a surprised gasp, and the goal of the secret mission that was given to us was suddenly clear.

" _I need you to kill a certain member of the faculty. He is known to be quite strong, but I know that you will be able to succeed. I would not have asked you if that wasn't the case."_

"..This is just another mission," I breathed out. "There is nothing special. Awfully brave and dramatic, I'll say, but nothing else."

"Killing the top hero in all of Japan?" Alter giggled, a grin spreading across her face. "Sounds exciting."

"I can't wait! Of course I don't give a shit about that mission."

"So, when?" Blister narrowed his eyes. "How?"

I hesitated for a second, but ultimately decided to go with the idea that popped into my head.

"Blister, can you help me? Let's think together."

His movements paused. His gaze turned sharper, more calculating, as if he was trying to read what I was thinking. I kept my blank face, forcing my legs to stop shifting side to side.

A few seconds passed between us before he suddenly stood up. He made his way to the door to the back. Angling his head backwards as he opened the door, he jerked his jaw towards the opening, his eyes never leaving mine. I complied.

It took a few hours, but the plan was set.

Two days later.

* * *

 **I'm very very sorry for not updating in a long time. I had a tough time writing this chapter, it was difficult for some reason and I had limited time to focus on writing.**

 **Which brings me to this; I will probably not update this story until February of next year. My collage entry exams are happening, and I need to focus on studying instead of writing this story. I'm not abandoning it, I will come back, but just a small hiatus for a few months.**

 **Yes, I made a spin-off of Tenko during his early janitor years. That one will be updated whenever I come up with an idea or when I want to escape reality for a bit. The chapters will be short, not lengthy like this one.**

 **With that being said, finally, the other 1-As are here! Yes, I decided to put Awase in and replace Mineta. There is a funny reason that will be revealed during the sport's festival arc. We get some background for some people, some revelations, and shit will start to hit the fan soon. Next chapter will be based on the battle trial arc, and will focus a lot on Izuku, Katsuki and maybe Kirishima. Who knows?**

 **I wanted to re-introduced Momo and add some Todomomo interaction, but I couldn't find a perfect place to fit it in, so, next chapter! At least some Kirimina happened. A microscopic bit, but I am satisfied.**

 **And this is purely future talk, but I was thinking of opening a twitter account so I can interact with more fans of MHA and my readers if you do have an account! Maybe even draw some artwork for my story! I have a lot of ideas for this one; it's not going to end anytime soon, haha.**

 **Once again, I love you all, thank you for reading, and see you in February.**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	24. Chapter 23: Perspectives of three

**Disclaimer: MHA does not belong to me.**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 23: Perspectives of three**

 _It was a rainy day. The clouds were covering every inch of the sky as water poured from the heavens. A small figure covered in black stood by a grave, seemingly unaware of the droplets soaking their hooded head._

 _A boy, looking no older than thirteen, approached them. With a blue umbrella in one hand and flowers in another, his eyes narrowed slightly at the hooded figure. He stopped besides that person, his umbrella providing the stranger shelter from the rain as well._

" _Who are you?" He spoke after a pause. The figure didn't respond. They proceeded to stare blankly at the stone, and the boy realized that they were staring at the name engraved on it._

"… _It's a beautiful name," the person spoke. Their voice was monotonous and raspy, as if they were not used to speaking. If he had listened closer, he would have caught a slight tone of confusion and hesitance, as if they did not believe the words that they spoke._

 _The boy stiffened, but he didn't respond. He bended down and arranged the provided flowers neatly, adding his own into the bunch. When he stood up and looked beside him, the figure was already gone. It was as if they disappeared like a mirage. He didn't even hear them leave._

 _This small encounter would soon disappear into the back of Todoroki Shouto's mind, never to be brought up again._

 **XXX**

Zero was not stupid. Dense at times, naïve at some, but she never left out the small details when it came to missions. She always spotted the holes in plans and thought of a way to fix it, so Blister never found her company irritating when it came to making plans, considering how Alter and Double were.

But she was distracted. She spaced out, mumbled more but didn't speak up, and they were left with a plan that didn't leave him fully satisfied. Sending her alone? That was far too risky, and yet, she didn't back down.

"We should not show all our cards to them yet," Zero stated. "Realistically speaking, I think that the mission Boss has entrusted to us is too dangerous. He must a reason for this. If we infiltrate the school together, there is a high chance of the heroes figuring out your true identities. Additionally, Alter's appearance is not exactly suited for subtlety."

Blister narrowed his eyes after seeing her hesitate. There was something she was not telling him. Her posture was stiff and voice hard, but her eyes were hooded, covered with a foreign emotion. Blister propped up his legs on the table and drawled out, "There's something you're not telling me."

Zero blinked and looked up to meet his eyes. "I do not understand."

"You asked me personally to help you, and I understand that. But you know very well that Alter can sneak around fine. If we were talking about sneaking in and killing the hero without anyone noticing, even if all of us went it would be possible. Double could just duplicate us and sent them in if you wanted precautions. But you've been telling me that you want to go in alone." Blister narrowed his eyes.

Zero didn't look away. She faced him calmly, her demeanor unchanging. It was clear that she was thinking deeply; her eyes were clouded, as if she wasn't really there with him. Blister gave her time, keeping his relaxed posture as he stared her down.

"…Boss made another request of me," She started slowly. "He told me that this was a special mission. That this mission would be the one to reveal the existence of the League to the world."

Blister raised his eyebrow. "And why's that necessary? We're not a group of villains with a clear goal. We just a bunch of assholes grouped together and doing dirty work."

"I do not know," Zero confessed. "He requested for me to make a grand entrance. But that would be contradictive if he wanted us to kill All Might. The mission itself is very strange, and I cannot shake a feeling of disaster." She paused, and the next words sounded like she was forcing them out. "I cannot trust this mission, and I…cannot trust Boss."

She was trained to trust him, to follow his every word. She was to obey all orders, right or wrong, and lay down her life for him. The methods of brainwashing that he had used on her were strong, but the fact that she couldn't trust him now told Blister how unusual this mission was.

She did not believe in her abilities to succeed, and therefore, she did not want them to come along.

"If you think that you're keeping us from danger," Blister said with a drag. "You're wrong. You can't keep us from staying at the base, least of all, Alter. If that crow wants us to make a grand entrance, we're doing it. If you can't believe in your abilities, than you should be the one staying back."

"That is unacceptable," Zero countered. "Boss told me personally. He wants me to go."

"Then die because of your doubt. We're up against the number one hero. It's not like those missions where we had to kill small fry." Blister concluded.

Zero's back was as straight as ever, but her knuckles were white. Her face was stoic, her eyes clouded, but Blister knew that she was conflicted. He agreed with her, the weird mission that was given to them was unbelievable. The crow was using them for something, and it irritated him to no end that he couldn't find out what it was.

If Zero were to die, it would be a problem to the crow. He wouldn't have kept her around for so long only to kill her off with a suicidal mission in the end. She might have finally used up her worth and was no longer needed to him, but Blister had a feeling that that wasn't the case. This was a valuable key, and Blister was not going to sit around in this closed off box forever.

He was sick of being used. He would not let himself be a pawn again.

"…I understand," Zero closed her eyes. "We shall all go."

"Good," Blister dragged his feet of the table and leaned forward. "Change of plans then."

Zero nodded, her brows slightly tilted inwards.

 **XXX**

It was another day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the cars were running, it was a typical, Musutafu weekday, and Tenko hated it. Everything was as usual.

"This is why life sucks ass," a certain janitor grumbled. "After the toilets, I have to get my ass to Ground Beta to clean up after Aizawa's class. Wait, isn't the ice pop and blasty-mc-bomber there? Fuck I hate this job."

"Haha! Don't be such a downer, Tenko-san!" the cheerful blonde next to him patted his back. "I'm sure it'll be a pinch! Your quirk is amazing after all!"

"I told you guys this was a bad idea…" an ebony haired teen mumbled after.

"Yup, I'm sure it'll be done in a jiffy!" blue locks swayed as the girl walked down the hallway with the three males.

"Shut up, and why the hell are you three here anyway?" Tenko growled. "Don't you have your first period?"

"Haha, the teacher said the students could leave after they finished the assignment!" Togata supplied. "Tamaki and I finished first, and we met Hadou in the hallways, then we bumped into you! Kind of a coincidence, huh?"

"Don't, 'huh' me brat. Get lost, I'm doing grown up work here."

"Ooh, is that this year's Class A?" Hadou intervened, putting a hand over her eyes as she looked out of the window. That caused Togata to leave Tenko's side _(Thank the heavens)_ and line up next to Hadou instead. Amajiki still stayed near Tenko, but at least he was quiet.

"Oh, I think you're right! Or at least two of them!"

"One's really green! The other one's really red! I wonder if there's a really yellow one!" Hadou laughed as she pulled Amajiki to make him watch too, ignoring his silent pleas to stop. Tenko reluctantly followed them and peered out the huge, glass windows, narrowing his eyes.

"Huh, ain't that the green bean?" he muttered absentmindedly. Midoriya and another were talking to each other while holding a piece of paper. They seemed to be looking at the building in front of them.

"Tenko-san, you know him?" Togata asked, his blue eyes blinking at the older man.

"Yeah, yeah, knew him since he was a tiny sapling. He was best friends with my sister."

"You had a sister?!" Hadou gasped. "How come we didn't know?!"

"Yeah, Tenko-san! I can't believe we've known you for so long and you barely tell us anything about yourself!" Togata pouted as well. Behind him, Amajiki was looking at Tenko nervously, but there was curiosity reflected in his eyes.

"She's dead anyway, twirly hair. There's not much to talk about," Tenko muttered, looking away and pushing his cart forward once more. He paused for a bit when he didn't hear their footsteps, and turned back to see their expressions. Hadou looked guilty _(Now that was a rare sight)_ , Togata looked like he had no idea what to say, and Amajiki wore an expression that just leaked of depression.

Tenko groaned and gave them the stink eye. "What the hell is up with those faces? It's no big deal, just forget about it. If you don't keep up, I'm leaving you three to fend for yourselves. The principal's probably walking around here at this time."

He looked forward and begun to push. Before he knew it, three sets of footsteps caught up to him, and conversations were started again.

This was still a shitty day, but…

Tenko snuck a glance next to him when Togata laughed heartily. Hadou was slapping both Tenko's and Amajiki's back, and the slouched teen was looking at Tenko with pleading eyes. He only rolled his, rubbing his mouth with the sleeve of his uniform.

…Nah, it was still pretty bad.

 **XXX**

With the sudden alarm going off, the swarm of people, the fact that they almost missed lunch and a bespectacled classmate named Iida became an exit sign, the first day of school was exciting yet exhausting. Eijiro was happy to return home and retire for the day. Of course he did his regular training resume before sleeping like a log, so he was generally refreshed when he woke up the next day.

As he reached the school, Eijiro was expecting another wild lesson. Yesterday had left a not-so-forgettable impact on him, so he vowed to be prepared for anything the teachers threw at him this time.

He still didn't expect All Might being their teacher and having a battle trial. Although less extreme than the quirk test, Eijiro couldn't hide the fact that he was pumped. He'd get to see his classmates in action, and he'd get his chance to shine too. Not to mention that they all looked awesome with their hero costumes.

So when the draws were made and he was paired up with a green haired boy, Eijiro had approached him with a friendly smile.

"Hey! My name's Kirishima Eijiro! Nice to meet you, partner!"

The boy blinked at him before a small smile formed on his face. "It's nice to meet you too, Kirishima-kun. I'm Midoriya Izuku."

Midoriya Izuku was a teen around the same height of Eijiro was. His costume was quite unique, it being mostly a green jumpsuit with some strange bunny ears and a mask. Only his eyes were properly visible, a deep green that most likely matched the color of his hair.

"Oh, here's the building's floor plan that All Might gave me," Midoriya passed a sheet of paper to the red haired boy. Eijiro thanked him and took it, scanning the map on the parchment. It was a little complicated and Eijiro was by no means a genius, but he would do his best to remember it. Real heroes had to be good at this sort of thing.

"Alright! So, our opponents are…" Eijiro recalled All Might's words and felt a small bead of sweat drop down his neck. "Bakugou and…"

"Tenya-kun," Midoriya nodded, his eyes darkening as soon as Eijiro brought up the angry blonde's name. Seeing as he was practically glaring at Midoriya almost all the time, Eijiro couldn't help but wonder if there was history between them.

"Hey, Midoriya, we have some time before the trial starts. Is it okay if I ask if there's something between Bakugou and you?"

Midoriya looked startled. He seemed to ponder for a few moments before his hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. He looked conflicted and little uncomfortable, and after seeing how he acted, Eijiro opened his mouth to take what he said back.

"Wait, on second thought, you don't have to if you don't want to! I was just genuinely curious man, I've never seen so much…uh, hate? Anger?" Eijiro racked his brain for the right word, but couldn't pinpoint it exactly. "Uh, you get what I mean. I've just never seen a guy look at another guy like that."

"Ka- Bakugou and I," Midoriya cleared his throat. "We're childhood…acquaintances. We're not exactly on good terms, so, I was thinking that he'd definitely go after me during the trial."

Eijiro blinked. So they were childhood friends? Maybe not friends really, but Eijiro understood what Midoriya meant by his last statement. "You're thinking of using that?"

Midoriya nodded. "If I'm thinking right, he'll come after me the first thing after it starts. So while I try to hold him back, Kirishima-kun, I thought that you could go after the weapon."

Eijiro tilted his head as he tried to recall Iida's quirk. The tall teen had what looked like engines on his calves, that being one of the reasons he managed to rush to the top of the exit sign with the help of a sudden rush of wind. Iida was fast, much, much faster than Eijiro, and he wasn't quite sure whether he would be able to approach the weapon without being subdued quickly.

"Hey, Midoriya, your quirk is like…superpower or something right?"

"Uh, I'm not sure how to explain it, but I can focus energy on a part of my body and enhance my strength. Why do you ask…?"

"I was thinking-"

"The indoor person-to-person combat training with Team A and Team D begins now!" The voice of All Might boomed through the speakers. Eijiro and Midoriya shared a glance and they both put the maps away. Eijiro was already quite sure of what he wanted to do.

"Alright, let's charge in head on!" Eijiro hardened his fists and slammed them together.

"Why don't we sneak in carefully instead?" Midoriya suggested. "I don't think we should draw too much attention yet."

"But Bakugou's gonna come after you right? I don't think running and hiding will do much against a guy like him. We gotta just enter manly and face him head on!" Eijiro looked at Midoriya, determined. Midoriya paused, but after looking at Eijiro for a while, he nodded.

"Ok, I see your point. How about we do this? We'll split up and head in different directions. I'll try to stand out as much as I can, while you make your way up. That way, Bakugou will come after me and you can reach Tenya-kun."

Eijiro pursed his lips, but agreed to the plan. Soon, the two of them entered the building and parted ways. Eijiro was looking at his surroundings carefully as he tried to recall how to move up. A few moments later, he heard loud banging noises, as if someone was hitting everything around them. It must be Midoriya, Eijiro thought and tried to hurry on.

' _If I remember right, this should-'_ Eijiro paused in his tracks.

In front of him was the person that wasn't supposed to go after him. It was Bakugou.

' _Oh, crap.'_

The blonde narrowed his eyes at Eijiro, and then his scarlet gaze looked further past him. In an instant, a snarl crawled up his face, as if he could sense Midoriya.

"Move scrub," Bakugou growled out, his palms blistering. "You're in my way."

Eijiro hardened his own gaze and raised his arms, activating his quirk. "Well too bad then. I'm not letting you get to him."

He pressed a button on his communication device and yelled, "Midoriya! I encountered Bakugou! I'll hold him back! You go!"

Bakugou blasted himself towards Eijiro at an alarming speed in an instant. Eijiro thanked the fact that he trained his reflexes every day, or would not have been able to guard himself in time. The blonde's attack was searing hot and full of impact, so even Eijiro was pushed back by a little. His legs dug into the concrete, making a small ditch. The smoke was thick, causing Eijiro to cough a little as he squinted to look past it. Almost immediately, another blast sounded and it almost took Eijiro off guard. He managed to guard against a big swing, and Bakugou's fist connected with the hardened skin.

"Fuck!" The blonde swore. The smoke then cleared because of the rush of wind, and Eijiro managed to get a good view of his opponent. One of Bakugou's gloves was ripped, and blood was dripping from the cuts on his skin. Eijiro stepped forward and threw a heavy punch, but he managed to dodge in the nick of time, causing his fist to only form a small cut across his cheek.

"Shit! Damn you're fast!" Eijiro growled out before throwing another punch. It missed once more, and Eijiro saw the palm going up to blast him in the side. Eijiro reacted by throwing another punch before his attack could connect, and it got Bakugou's shoulder before he felt a searing hot blast on his armor.

Eijiro bit on his lip harshly, knowing that he couldn't keep up his quirk forever. The smart choice would be to draw his opponent's attention somewhere else, but he didn't want to do it. It was not manly, and he wanted to fight against him fair and square.

But Bakugou wasn't even looking at him. Although he was fighting against Eijiro, his gaze would dart behind him every so often, and it was obvious that he wasn't using his full power. If the ball throw was any indication, Bakugou's full strength was nothing like the explosions he was causing now.

It was frustrating as hell, and Eijiro wanted to have a genuine fight, but he was just supposed to hold Bakugou back until Midoriya secured the weapon. He would have other fights with him, serious, real ones that neither of them held back on.

So he did what he could.

"So, why are you so fixated on Midoriya?!" Eijiro shouted as he swung his fist. "A bad past or something?" Bakugou dodged it again, but his eyes finally fixed on Eijiro's face.

"What the hell are you blabbering about, shitty hair?!" Bakugou growled out. "Shut up!"

"He seemed to know you well, you know! He predicted that you'd go after him, and he was right!" Eijiro yelled, guarding against another blast. This time, his skin started to ache. Crap.

"Shut your damn trap! That stupid nerd doesn't know anything!" He screamed, aiming another blast at his abdomen. Eijiro rolled out of the way to avoid it, and he got up to aim another hit.

"Really? It didn't seem that way! And you keep looking behind me, are you obsessed with him? You shouldn't look away during a fight, dude, it's unmanly as hell!" Eijiro finally managed to land another hit as the blonde stiffed for a second. His fist made contact with his face, punching him away.

Bakugou spat out a bit of blood before refocusing on Eijiro. His cheek was scraped and bleeding, but he paid no attention to it. Eijiro kept his guard up; however, he could feel his skin softening. Shit, shit, shit, if Bakugou managed to land another hit, it would mean serious damage for the red head, and that was something he wanted to avoid no matter what.

Bakugou's eyes were dark, as if they were dyed with blood. His face was set in a horrifying scowl, and Eijiro recalled the way that he had glared at Midoriya. It was an expression full of anger, but there was something else, something that Eijiro couldn't tell. It was something deeper than ordinary hate. Something more complicated.

Eijiro was always one for justice and helping others. Midoriya, although they just met, seemed like a genuinely smart and kind dude. He didn't seem like one to anger others needlessly, much less earn that much hate, but maybe Bakugou had a complex reason to his anger too? Maybe there was something that ran deeper than what it seemed on the surface.

Eijiro made an oath to help people in trouble. This was no difference.

"Bakugou," Eijiro never took his eyes off the blonde. "Why are you so angry? What happened between you two to make you…like that?"

Bakugou's teeth grinded against each other. "…It's none of your damn business! Now, DIE!" He charged at Eijiro, and Eijiro did his best to activate his quirk. However, when his skin only hardened to the toughness of a nail, he knew that it wouldn't be enough, and Bakugou was too close for him to dodge.

' _Sorry, Midoriya! I wish I could've bought you more time-'_

But before Eijiro could finish that thought, he saw a piece of paper flutter out from Bakugou's pocket. It seemed like a picture. Eijiro didn't know why he reached out to grab it. Maybe it was something important to the blonde. If anyone else knew, they would have considered him crazy for thinking something like that before being knocked out.

As his fingers curled around the paper, a blast sounded out, and Eijiro felt his conscious leaving him.

 **XXX**

Iida was fast. He was a tough opponent, and Izuku never doubted that he wouldn't be.

"Fwahahaha! Look at how hopeless you are, you weak hero!" Iida's voice boomed out from under his helmet. "You can never hope to get past me! Surrender or I shall eliminate you!"

A sweatdrop rolled down the side of Izuku's head. He just didn't expect Iida to get _that_ seriousabout his villainous role.

' _Tenya-kun is very good at role-playing, I should remember that next time.'_

Izuku observed his surroundings once more. The entire floor was cleared of objects, most likely to prevent any enemies from hiding and allowing Iida to move around more freely. Iida was fast, meaning that once he spotted a foe, he would most likely be able to disable them in no time, assuming he could fully control his power. The bright side was that it was indoors, and although he had a better field of view, he couldn't move about recklessly and leave his post by the weapon.

Izuku clenched his fists. Even if he focused One for All to his legs, five percent of it was probably slower than Engine, plus, Iida was used to speed. He would still be able to see Izuku run and move the target away.

' _This is not a good situation. Think! There's got to be a way-'_

"DEKUUU!"

A blast sounded out from behind him. Izuku was caught off guard. Bakugou's fist slammed into Izuku's back, causing him to be propelled forward. Letting out a strangled gasp, Izuku slammed his feet to the ground and turned around, meeting blood red eyes and a raised palm. Seeing the sparks once more, Izuku activated his quirk and sped away, trying to form some distance between them.

' _Ka-Bakugou?! Does that mean-'_

Izuku turned on his device. "Kirishima-kun! Kirishima-kun, can you hear me?!"

"Help's not coming, stupid nerd!" Bakugou blasted himself forward, aiming for Izuku once more. Izuku managed to get away, albeit barely. "The shitty hair's dead! Now it's your turn!"

' _Bakugou took out Kirishima-kun, which means I have to overcome this alone! How am I going to-'_

"You've got some nerve, shitty Deku!" Bakugou yelled. "Thinking that you could go head-to-head with me! What's the problem now, aren't you gonna use your 'quirk' on me?!"

Izuku gritted his teeth. The relentless assault from the blonde was leaving Izuku with no time to think. He needed to counter somehow.

Izuku focused, observing Bakugou carefully as he did his best to avoid the blasts and punches. Although the blonde seemed rash, he never charged in without thinking. He was smart, he was strong, and he didn't like mistakes. Izuku knew how he fought.

As Izuku's thoughts were circulating through his head, he got distracted for a second. That second was enough for Bakugou to land a hit.

"Die, Deku!" The blonde shouted furiously, his palms spitting sparks.

Izuku was hit with the explosion, and he felt his stomach churn as the heat burned away his costume and skin. He let out a pained yell as he was flung backwards into the wall. Izuku felt his visison blur, his sight wobbling as he pushed himself to get up.

"Bakugou-kun! Stop it, you are going too far! We only need to capture them; we do not have to knock them out of submission!"

"Shut up, glasses! This is none of your business!" Izuku could see Bakugou turn to face him, his scowl running even deeper. "Deku! I know that attack didn't knock you out, get the fuck up and use your quirk on me, you-"

Izuku got up, his feet wobbling slightly. His entire mask was blown off, revealing his burned cheek and cut lip. His costume was in no better shape. Half of his upper clothing was burned away, revealing his body and arm. His bottom half was still intact, albeit with a few holes here and there.

But then, why was Bakugou looking at him like that? Why did Iida freeze up as well?

Izuku looked down.

 _Oh._

His scars were on view for everyone to see, the big one on his shoulder, the burn on his knee and the wounds that never healed. His body was not the same as the one he saw in the mirror that night anymore, but some wounds never disappeared, he supposed. He raised his head to face Bakugou once more, and he finally saw the emotion in his eyes.

… _Is that, guilt…?_

 _No, no, it can't be. Kacchan never regrets what he does, he doesn't. If he did, we wouldn't be like this, we wouldn't have to become like this._

Izuku forced a smile on his face; although he was sure it looked more like a grimace. "Sorry, Tenya-kun. I didn't mean for you to see this."

Iida looked like he was still stuck in time, but he slowly shook his head. "No, Midoriya-kun. I…I-"

"Deku," Bakugou's voice rang out. "Don't you dare look away from me."

Izuku narrowed his eyes and turned back to see Bakugou with his fists clenched. He was glaring at him again, that fraction of vulnerability gone.

 _I was right. That before was just an illusion, it must have been._

"Don't you dare ignore me," Bakugou gritted out, stomping his feet as he advanced. Izuku shifted his legs apart and brought his arms up, taking a stance. "You've always been like that. Always looking at me like that, always seeing me beneath you."

"I never did, Kacchan," Izuku clenched his fists. "I've never. You're the one whose always been trying to do that to me."

"Shut up," Bakugou grounded out, his eyes bloodshot. If Izuku had looked closer, he would have seen the bags underneath his eyes, the paleness of his skin. The way he seemed to be barely holding up himself. "It's all your fault. It's all your fault that I still keep…" he gritted his teeth. His hands were shaking. If it were any other person, they would have thought that Bakugou was getting angrier, but Izuku was no other person.

He heard the way Bakugou's voice weakened. He heard the tremor in it; he saw the glint of his eyes before he faced downwards. Izuku felt his hands shake.

 _What am I supposed to do? What is the right choice?_

Before he could do anything however, the alarm blared out along with All Might's voice.

"MATCH SET! The villain team wins!"

Izuku felt his stomach drop as Bakugou stood there, unmoving.

 **XXX**

"Woah, that was intense…"

"Bakugou seemed to be shouting a lot, I wonder if his throat never gets sore."

"Did you see Midoriya's body? What happened to him…?"

The murmurs of his classmates barely reached his ears. Shouto just looked up at the screen, clenching his fists. He hated this feeling, this feeling of not being able to do anything but watch as his friend fight his childhood bully and lose in the end.

Yoarashi glanced down and saw the expression on his face. The tall teen laid a hand on Shouto's shoulder, shaking it a little. "Hey, Todoroki-kun! Are you okay?"

Shouto just shrugged his hand off, answering in a clipped tone. "I'm fine. Izuku's not. And you don't have to add the honorific; I thought we went over this yesterday."

"Oh, right, sorry Todoroki!" Yoarashi scratched the back of his head. "Midoriya-kun seems ok though. I mean, at least he isn't gravelly injured!"

"Because that's the most important thing right now," Shouto replied in a certain tone. "I'm going to check up on him."

Yoarashi snapped his head towards the teen as he made his way towards the door. "Oi! Isn't your match next? You can't just leave!"

"I agree with Yoarashi-san, Todoroki-san," A feminine voice interrupted their conversation. The two of them turned their heads to see most of the class looking at them, with a tall, raven haired girl crossing her arms in front. Shouto tilted his head, suddenly feeling a sense of nostalgia as he looked at the girl.

"Todoroki-san, I understand your concern for your friend, and I think that it's very kind of you," she continued, her voice firm, yet pleasing to the ears at the same time. "But it is irresponsible to leave in the middle of the lesson and disrespectful to your partner as well. Please bear with it until this period ends, I am sure that you can still meet him at the infirmary later on."

Shouto paused. He was about to open his mouth when All Might approached them, patting his shoulder. "Young Todoroki, I understand that the match worried you, but it is as young Yaoyorozu says. I am sure that young Midoriya would have wanted you to finish your match as well."

Shouto clenched and unclenched his fists, exhaling at the same time. They had a point. Izuku would be disappointed if he had just left to make sure he was alright. "Fine. I'll check up on him later."

All Might gave him a smile, giving him a thumbs up. "Excellent! So, the next match will be Shoji Mezo and Todoroki Shouto against Yaoyorozu Momo and Awase Yousetsu! Get to your places!"

Yaoyorozu Momo…? Why did that sound oddly familiar?

"I suppose you're my partner," A voice sounded out behind him. Shouto turned around to see a tall teen with white hair and four arms attached to the two at the front. He had a mask that covered his lower face, making only his eyes visible. He gave off a calming aura, something that was probably good for Shouto's nerves right now. If his partner was someone as loud as Yoarashi, Shouto could see himself taking out his frustrations on them.

"Yeah, so you're Shoji, right? Sorry about that just now. I'm not in a relaxed state of mind," Shouto said as they made their way to the battle grounds, heading to an entrance opposite of the opponent.

Shoji nodded. "I understand how you feel. You seem especially close to Midoriya, it would make sense that you are protective of him."

Shouto kept quiet. Shoji stopped talking for a while too, so it only the sounds of their shoes against the floor made any noise. When they exited outside to the field, Shoji spoke up beside him.

"Do you have a plan? Our opponents seem to be quite formidable."

"If they got into U.A, they must be," Shouto replied, adjusting his wrist guards. "But they won't last too long."

When All Might signaled the start of the match, Shouto did his best to push any thoughts of his friend and the blonde out of his head.

 **XXX**

Deku was a liar. He was a betrayer, a weakling, someone under than him. He lied about not having a quirk. He did have one, so what was all that before? That time when he nearly killed himself? That time when he came to his house? That time when she was taken away?

"Geez, kids these days are so reckless," Recovery Girl muttered as she kissed his hand. The cuts made by the shitty redhead disappeared, and he only felt his eye lids droop a little afterwards. "Now, here you go. Be more careful next time, alright?"

Katsuki only grumbled out a "Fine.". She seemed satisfied by that and got up from her stool, pushing the curtains away and gestured for him to leave. He did as requested, grabbing his gloves and grenades in the process. Before leaving the room, he directed his gaze to the beds. Two of them were occupied, and although the curtains were cutting off any view from outsiders, he knew that Deku was lying in one of them. Recovery Girl had treated him and the redhead first, and Deku had knocked out after that while his partner was still unconscious. He had to hold back the urge to growl in frustration, and turned around.

He was about to leave when one of the curtains opened, and a yawn sounded out. "Man…where's this place? Was I knocked out for that long…? Oh, hey, Bakugou?"

Katsuki paused. He turned around to see the redhead all healed up, save for the slightly sleepy eyes. He rubbed them for a moment before refocusing on the blonde. "Is this the infirmary? What're you doing here?"

Katsuki let out a scoff and turned back, ready to leave, but then he started to talk again. "Hey, wait! I wanted to ask you-"

Katsuki was in no mood to answer to idiots. He slammed open the door and left, not paying any attention. The redhead's words were still in his head, along with Deku's. He did not want to deal with him any longer.

His wish was not received apparently, because he felt a hand grab his a few seconds later. "Hey, could you listen to me for a bit? I promise it won't take too long!"

Katsuki reflectively pulled his hand back and snapped, "I don't give a fuck. Go away, shitty hair."

"The name's Kirishima Eijiro, if you didn't know," Shitty hair introduced himself, a sickeningly friendly smile on his face. "I just wanted to know what's up with you and Midoriya. I mean, it's cool if you don't want to tell me, but I-"

"Why the hell would you care? You're just a damn outsider. Stay out of my business," Katsuki snarled, ready to leave once more, but the shit just grabbed his arm again and put something in his hand.

"You dropped this by the way. I, uh, didn't mean to look at it, but…" the teen rubbed the back of his head. Katsuki felt his heart drop when he stuffed his hand into his pocket, only to realize that it wasn't there. When he looked down at the picture now in his hand, he felt his blood boil.

He gripped the redhead's arm and snarled quietly, "Don't you dare tell anyone about this or I'll burn your face off."

He looked startled, but he wasn't scared. In fact, there wasn't even an inch of fear in his red eyes. Only steadfastness and calmness were reflected in them. Katsuki felt as if lightning had struck, and he tore his hand and gaze away, stuffing the picture back into his pocket.

 _No. They did not remind him of her. There was no one in the world like her._

"Alright man, I won't, I swear," he promised, his voice unwavering.

Katsuki grunted. "Then this conversation's over. Don't bring this up again, shit stain."

Katsuki left the teen standing in the middle of the hallway. He kept one of his hands in his pocket, gripping the piece of paper while his grenades and gloves were carried by his other.

Someone saw it. He didn't even know why he kept that damn thing. He could've just burned it, reduce it to nothing but ashes, but when he looked at their expressions, he couldn't bring himself to.

 _This was a curse. The day that he picked this picture up was a curse, a reminder to keep moving forward. A reminder to get stronger, strong enough to leave all of them behind in the dust._

He would not get left behind. He would always be in front of all of their shitty faces.

 _Milky brown eyes. Pale skin, blood, cuts and bruises. Burns with screams._

He shut his eyes tightly, exhaling.

 **XXX**

"So let's go over the plan again."

"Alrighty! So tomorrow, in the morning, at this place!"

"Right."

"Hey, what about those guys? They're not coming are they?"

"I got them under control. Remember to mix a few of us in."

"Boss also handed over one of his."

"Oh yeah! Haze-san said he got the masks ready!"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

"The League of Villains will make its mark on the whole of Japan."

 **XXX**

"So…They're moving again?" Reito munched on some cheese rings as Kogori threw his senbon at the target. The thin needles all hit the mark, and it only had time to ground out a cry of pain before falling to the ground.

"Yes, unquestionably," the shorter brother stated, pulling out another set. "It is a good thing I sent my crow to check on them."

"Man, no fair. Why do you get the cool pet?!" Reito complained, swinging his scythe as another target tried to sneak up behind his back.

"It is not a pet, it is a robot I designed myself," Kogori replied, stepping over a corpse. "Half-brother, have you gone to introduce yourself yet?"

"Eh? I was supposed to do that?" the white haired man hummed, stabbing the blade into a target on the ground. "S'rry. Forgot."

"This is the thirteenth time I reminded you. Please fix that mental disorder of yours as soon as possible."

"I can't help it, ya know. Wait, I have a mental disorder? How come you know?"

"Never mind," Kogori sighed, finally wiping the red liquid off his needles.

"Mm. So, we gonna do something about it?" Reito crumpled up the bag of snacks, stuffing it into his pocket.

"Nothing too drastic. This may be a good chance however, so I will sneak into the facility with them unnoticed, in case of an emergency," Kogori tucked away his weapons. "Maybe this is the chance they need."

"Well, whatever," Reito yawned, lying his scythe on his shoulder. "If I got nothing to do with it, I'mma just sleep."

"Please do so forever."

"Harsh little brobro, harsh. Hyaha!"

 _Slash._

 **XXX**

This was horrible. What was happening? Why was this going on right now?

"Young heroes and students," a masked figure held their arms out, speaking with a distorted voice. "This is your apocalypse, your doomed fate. Prepare to be erased by the League of Villains."

"Or, you can either bring the number one hero out instead," another taller, masked figure spoke, their voice also flickering. "And we won't maim you. Simple as that."

"Yeah, yeah! Bring him out! Back in!" another jeered.

"Yeah, yeah!" the others hooted along.

Tenya couldn't believe his eyes. In fact, no one currently witnessing the view in front of them could say anything. How could this have happened? Weren't they just listening to a lecture made by Thirteen? Why did a black hole appear, and why was the swarm of black clothed people walking in from there?

"Stay together, and don't move!" Aizawa ordered as he clicked his tongue. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Of course!" the space hero nodded, taking a protective stance in front of the class.

"Aizawa-sensei! Are those, are those-" a blonde, whose name was Kaminari Denki, pointed with a shaky finger.

"Villains. Shitty, grade S nuisances," the janitor, who for some reason, was with them, grumbled. "This isn't in the damn job description. I should sue the principal for this."

"I don't think complaining much would help, Tenko-san," Todoroki commented, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the enemy in front.

"Shut up brat."

"How could villains get into a hero school?" Kirishima's voice wavered, his eyes widened with disbelief.

"Teacher, what about the trespasser sensors?" Yaoyorozu, the vice president of the class, stood forward and asked Thirteen. The hero nodded uneasily.

"We have them of course, but…"

"Did they only appear here, or the entire school?" Yoarashi tilted his head. For a person with a loud voice, his expression was serious, his voice low.

"Either way, I think if the sensors aren't responding, that means that they have someone with a quirk who can do that," Midoriya muttered from beside Tenya. "And this is a place far from the school, and a time where a class is supposed to have a lesson here. This can't be a coincidence."

All Might. They said they wanted All Might, or they would kill them all.

"Thirteen, evacuation. Try calling the school," Aizawa spoke, his eyes covered by his yellow goggles and a grim look on his face. "These villains even had something to counter the sensors; it's possible someone with radio-wave type powers is interfering. Kaminari!"

Said student jerked a little, surprised at the sudden call. "You try contacting the school with your quirk too."

Kaminari nodded immediately, putting a hand to the device on his ear. "Alright."

"Hey, hey! Are you done talking yet? Can we attack? Can we?" A voice rung out from among the mass of black.

"Thirteen, I leave the students to you," their homeroom teacher finished, jumping from the platform. Some of the students let out a cry of worry, but Aizawa paid no attention. Layers of fabric whipped out from his hands, coiling around a few villains as he started to take them down.

"Students and Tenko-san! Please, this way!" Thirteen announced, gesturing with his hands. Most of the class nodded, but a few were looking worriedly at the chaos beneath them.

"But, isn't Eraserhead not suited for close combat?!" Yoarashi shouted out. "Is Aizawa-sensei going to be ok?! And, what about-"

"Believe in him, Yoarashi-kun," Thirteen replied. "The only thing I must do right now is evacuate and keep all of you safe. I have full confidence in Eraserhead's abilities. So please, follow my directions!"

"Let's go, Yoarashi-kun," Midoriya put a hand on the taller boy's arm, but from the taller boy's point of view, he could see that it was shaking. "I'm sure that Eraserhead is strong enough not to lose." Yoarashi looked down and paused, but soon nodded and followed the rest of the class along with the green haired boy.

"Stick close to me," Todoroki muttered, keeping close to Tenya and the green haired boy. "If something happens, it would be bad if we got separated."

"I agree, Todoroki-kun," Tenya voiced, nodding firmly. "Let's all stick together. That is the safest way to make sure none of us get hurt!"

Contrary to their belief however, a black, swirling hole had opened up in the middle of the path to the entrance. Thirteen had seen this and stopped, causing everyone else to follow. Black mist started to billow upwards until it was towering over the entire class, and slanted, yellow shapes that looked like eyes appeared at the top.

"I will not let you pass so easily, heroes. As you have heard before, we are here to make the Symbol of Peace take his last breath. However, there is no sight of him. Has there been some kind of change? Well, no matter, for that is not the role I must fulfill," the black mist started to shift.

However, before the enemy could do anything, three students rushed forward and attacked, one slightly later than the other. Strong gusts of wind blew throughout the space they were in. Blasts sounded out as a voice yelled, "Did you consider that you'd get beaten by us before you did it?!"

Smoke exploded, surrounding them and blocking their sight. "Kirishima-kun and Bakugou?" From beside Tenya, Midoriya muttered in surprise as he covered his eyes. Tenya attempted to look past the smoke, but another gust of wind blew it all away.

With their vision cleared instantly, they could see, but the black mist was still there. It seemed unhurt from their attacks by the way it still shifted around. From beneath the mist, a glint of silver could be seen.

"No way," Kirishima murmured. From beside him, Bakugou growled. Yoarashi looked on with disbelief sketched across his feature. "He's strong! Really strong!"

The same voice from before started talking, "Oh, dear, that is dangerous. That's right, even if you are students, you are excellent golden eggs."

"No, you two, stay back! It's too dangerous!" Thirteen yelled.

"My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!"

They were engulfed in black mist in an instant.

Tenya's engines whirred to life.

* * *

 **I'm back! My collage exams are over, and I am back!**

 **So, we kick off the chapter with the battle trial arc and the start of the USJ arc! More Kirishima time! He's building a relationship with Katsuki earlier! He's seen the picture! Why is Katsuki still having sleepless nights? Will Reito ever remember and finally show himself to his cousin? Many questions.**

 **To be honest, a match between Shouto and Shoji verses Momo and Awase would be really cool. I wish I could write it, but this chapter has already dragged on enough and the important part starts in the next. It's been a long time since I wrote, so I hope my quality didn't go down in that time… English is a difficult language.**

 **So, as I said in the chapter before, here is my twitter account!**

 **/Runefairy12 or Runefairy12  
**

 **I hope I can interact with more anime fans, MHA or not, and upload art stuff when I draw them!**

 **See you in the next chapter!**

 **~Luna~**


	25. Chapter 24: Four reunions of agony

**Disclaimer: I do not own MHA.**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 24: Four reunions of agony**

For the time being, Midoriya and Todoroki were safe, Tenya panted as his engines whirred gently. He had managed to catch the two before the smoke got to them. A few of his classmates were safe as well, thanks to the huge arms of Shoji. However, most of them seem to have disappeared, leaving no trace of them ever being there in the first place.

"Tenya-kun, thank you," Midoriya breathed, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, you really saved us there," Todoroki said, giving the armored teen a small and tense nod.

Tenya grit his teeth, turning to the rest of his classmates. "Everyone, stay calm and group up! Shoji-kun, is everyone here? Can you check?"

The tall teen stretched out his tentacles, straining to sense them. "They're alive, just scattered in this building."

At that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tenya checked their numbers. Midoriya, Todoroki, Ashido, Shoji, Sero and Thirteen, there were seven of them if you added him in. He then turned to face the menace in front of them, everyone doing the same.

"Damn, physical attacks don't work and warping…his quirk's the worst!" Sero exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows. Tenya agreed with him quietly, noting that the situation, although not as bad as he feared, was still quite dangerous.

There was a small pause before Thirteen spoke up, "Class rep!"

"Yes?" Tenya answered reflectively.

"Run to the school and tell them what is happening here. The alarms are not sounding, and our phones do not have any signal. The alarm system is based on infrared rays. Even though Eraserhead is erasing people's quirk's left and right, they are still not working. This most likely means that they must have someone with an interference quirk who hid as soon as they arrived," Thirteen explained as the smoke in front of them shifted, revealing those bright, yellow eyes once more.

"It would be faster for you to run than for us to find that person," Thirteen finished grimly.

Tenya faltered. Although in his mind, he knew that his teacher was saying was logical and the right choice, but he couldn't just leave everyone here. "But it would be a disgrace as a class representative to leave everyone behind-"

"Iida," Todoroki intervened, stepping in front of him. "Go. We'll handle this."

"Shouto-kun's right, Tenya-kun," Midoriya agreed. "If you can get outside, there are alarms. That's probably why the villains are only doing this inside."

"As long as you go outside, they won't follow you! It would be a whole lot easier if Yoarashi wasn't teleported away, but you can blow this fog away with your legs!" Sero added, bringing his arms up.

"Use your quirk in order to save others!" Thirteen told him, his voice firm and strong.

That was enough to spur him into action. His classmates and friends believed in him, they believe that he could do it. And they needed him to accomplish this mission given to him no matter what. He wasn't abandoning them; he was going to save them.

Tenya sucked in a deep breath, feeling his engines jut out of his legs once more.

"Even if there was no choice, are there really idiots who talk about their plans in front of the enemy?!" The black mist shouted, shooting out tendrils of smoke that threatened to swallow them whole.

"We did it because it doesn't matter if we're found out!" Thirteen exclaimed. "Black hole!"

The cap on his glove opened, and the smoke was absorbed into it. At first glance, it seemed like Thirteen's powers were enough to defeat the enemy. The once overwhelming black mist was gradually being drawn into the mighty black hole, disappearing trace after trace.

"Thirteen's awesome," Ashido whispered under her breath. "Maybe he's all we need!"

Tenya hoped so. He was sure that everyone there felt the same as her, and it did appear to seem like the pro hero's powers were enough.

But the smoke simply laughed. "Black hole, which sucks up everything and turns it all to dust. I see, that is an astounding quirk. However, Thirteen, you are a hero who works to rescue people from disasters," the yellow eyes narrowed, almost in amusement.

"As expected, your battle experience is less than half of that of a normal hero."

Tenya was not expecting another black hole to appear behind Thirteen. No one was expecting the warp gate to suck Thirteen and turn his body into ash. In a moment, their teacher was turned into nothing, powerless, defeated.

"Sensei!" Ashido screamed.

"Tenya-kun! Run!" Midoriya shouted from the bottom of his lungs. Ice burst out from under Todoroki, forming spikes that charged towards the haze.

Thirteen's words reverberated in his head. Tenya's engines came to life, bursting with energy as he sprinted. His classmates trust in him, his friends' desperate looks of help, they spurred Tenya on with gritted teeth and clenched fists.

 _Damn it…Damn it!_

As the temperature dropped and sparks flew behind him, Tenya could only do his best to make it to the exit. When another portal opened in front of him, Shoji intervened and guarded him with all of his body. Midoriya and Todoroki had managed to spot a glimpse of silver when the haze chased after Tenya, and focused their attacks on that one spot.

A glance was all they needed.

"Shouto-kun!" Shouto activated his ice in large, the crystal element carrying him and the green haired boy towards the enemy.

"Izuku!" Izuku focused his energy into his finger, the red marks on it seeming to glow.

"If there's something like that," Izuku started, bracing himself. A glint was shown in his eyes, a brave, shining light. Beside him, his duo colored friend emitted the same look.

"Then that means there's a body somewhere." Todoroki's palms lit up with heat, scorching and burning the air around him.

"Go, Tenya-kun!" Izuku aimed a flick at the metal brace, the explosive force making a huge sound as it blasted it away.

"Nnrgh?!" A strained voice gasped, but he had no time to recollect his thoughts.

A blast of heat scorched the air around him. Todoroki had aimed a stream of fire at the floating body part, making sure to burn the enemy enough, not enough to kill, but enough to injure. The fire was, as morbid as it was, a beautiful arch of orange embers taking over everything in its path. It lit up the sky, and even Tenya could feel the heat from where he was.

"You're pathetic for losing against a bunch of kids. Get a hold of yourself, you're an adult, aren't you?" Todoroki narrowed his eyes and almost hissed out that phrase.

A roar of pain echoed throughout the area. The door was right in front of Tenya. He stopped, pushing his fingers in the gap of the entrance and struggling to push them open.

 _Come on…Come on!_

Light cracked through.

As the air from the outside covered Tenya's body, a strong blast of energy burst out from his engines, propelling him towards the main school yard of U.A.

He did it, he was out.

 **XXX**

Obviously, the enemies never stood a chance against him. As he screamed death threats to the weaklings charging at him however, there was one that seemed to actually have brains. Female or male, he couldn't tell, but they analyzed his movements and counterstriked. He had a harder time with that one, but the weirdest thing was that when he gave them a blast head on, it turned into goop instead of remaining a body. Something was wrong with these villains, Katsuki thought instinctively.

To his right, the red haired nuisance was doing pretty well on his own, Katsuki grudgingly admitted. He was free of big injures, mostly because of that stupid hardening quirk.

But that wind maker? Oh, he was a damn pain in the ass. Blowing that wind everywhere that distracted his blasts slightly off course. That kind of wide ranged quirk was more suited for open spaces, not for fighting in a damn building. (He didn't want to admit that although most of the previous statements was true, his control was exceptionally well for a wide ranged fighter.)

When the three of them defeated all of the villains, Katsuki let out a disappointed click of his tongue. "Is this all of them? They're so weak."

"All right, let's hurry up and go save the others!" The redhead turned around to meet Katsuki's eyes. The determination and straightforwardness reflected in them made Katsuki scowl. "If we're here, then everyone else should be inside USJ, too. I'm worried about the guys with less offensive abilities. Besides, because we ran off ahead, we slowed Thirteen down."

The reddie clenched his fist, and then loosened it. "If Thirteen had been able to suck up that fog, then this wouldn't have happened!" This time, he turned to look at the huge one, then back at Katsuki once more. "As men, we have to take responsibility for what we did!"

"Kirishima-kun!" The loudmouth exclaimed. "That's so passionate! You're a very spirited man, Kirishima-kun! I like that, you're right, we should go and save our classmates!"

A small grin made its way up to the redhead's face. "Yeah, thanks for the boost of support, Yoarashi! I knew you were a manly dude too!"

Katsuki growled, turning away from the two hotheaded idiots. "If you two dumbasses want to go, then go by yourself. I'm gonna kill that warp gate."

"What? You're gonna act childish at a time like this?" Kirishima exclaimed, furrowing his eyebrows. "Besides, that warp gate's-"

"Shut up! The gate bastard is the enemy's way in and out. I'm gonna cut off their getaway route for when the time comes. It's not like we don't have a way to fight the fog."

Katsuki saw the big guy turn his head to look behind him. He saw the way his eyes widened and a fierce growl overtaking his face. "Bakugou-kun, behind you!"

Katsuki turned around just to see a blade making its way towards him. A screeching voice followed after. "Stop your chitchatting! Since you've left your guard-"

Katsuki grunted as he reached out a hand, grabbing the head of the camouflaged villain and emitting a blast. The sounds from the villain died down immediately. "Anyway, if these small fry are the ones assigned to us, pretty much everyone'll be fine, right? Some were pretty messed up in the head, but they're not impossible to beat either," Katsuki glared at the silver goop on the ground.

"That reaction time was amazing…" Red muttered, and then he turned to look up at Big. "And how did you know a villain was there? He was mostly invisible!"

"Haha, it's no big deal! Since that my quirk controls the winds, I'm just a little more sensitive to the air movements compared to everyone else! I felt something moving in that general direction, but I was amazed at how fast Bakugou-kun was able to react to it!" Big talked enthusiastically, looking down on the blonde with a huge smile on his face. "As expected of U.A!"

Katsuki felt his eyebrow twitch. "Stop looking down on me, airhead!"

"I'm not!"

Red blinked and let out a small, sheepish smile. "Geez, and I was so surprised at you just now. Did you always have that calm and rational side to you?"

Katsuki felt his other eyebrow twitch. "I'm always calm and rational, you spiky haired punk!"

"I don't think you're in any position to say that, Bakugou-kun!" Big laughed loudly.

"Shut up boom box! You're making my eardrums bleed!" Katsuki turned away from the both of them with a growl stapled to his face. "Then go if you want to! See ya!"

"Wait, wait!" Red called out to him, and for some reason, Katsuki stopped in his tracks. "Believing in our friends! That's real manly, Bakugou!" His skin armor coated his arms as he smashed his fists together with a grin. "I'll follow you!"

If Katsuki was surprised at that, he was not prepared for the giant's next words.

"I agree with Kirishima-kun as well! Bakugou-kun, although you may seem rash and unforgiving, I see a passion in your eyes! You must be a really fiery man on the inside, and that faith in your friends has made me see that!" The capped teen clenched a fist in determination. "I'll fight beside you too!"

Fiery? Passion? Faith?

Bakugou could only stare blankly at the teen. When the giant looked down with another determined glower in his eyes, his memory flashed between his eyes once more.

 _No, no, no. Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

Katsuki turned away and trudged towards the exit. "Just do whatever you want already, idiots!"

Kirishima and Yoarashi beamed, both of them fist bumping as they marched on beside him, but Katsuki didn't bother acknowledging them.

The photo in his pocket seemed to weight a thousand pounds as he moved forward with every step.

 **XXX**

"So, the teachers will be here soon, I suppose," I muttered softly.

"Yeah, yeah, wrong! If Haze's copy disintegrated, it means that they got through him, NOT! The plan's going well, it's gonna end up in chaos!" Double fist pumped the air in glee, laughter spilling out of the crow's mask on his face. The usually white and black man was covered in a special body suit for today, with every inch of his costume a sleek shade of nightmare.

"All according to plan, huh," Blister snorted, leaning back lazily with his hands in his pockets. He buried his nose into the high collar of his black coat, hiding an equally lazy smirk. He refused to wear the crow's mask and would not budge no matter what. "Do you think this'll work? If this goes well, the number one hero will be gone from society forever."

Alter giggled, playing with her coal colored scarf. Her mask and uniform was also a custom shade of black, with almost no skin showing. She had complained about it for every second before the operation started. "Well, duh! Zero-chan and Blister-kun thought of it! There's no way it won't!"

Blister's cool blue eyes made contact with mine. I hid my eyes behind my hood, and averted my gaze forward. The monster by my side stood there silently, its blank eyes staring off into space. The brain protruding from its head, its muscled form with burnt, black skin. In no ways this was normal being. This was given to us for this mission, a being that could kill All Might. It responded to the name of 'Noumu', and it would only follow my orders.

In front of us, the man named Eraserhead was dealing finishing blows to the group of villains. While most of them were small fries that we found laying around, Double had made copies of us that snuck in with the groups. If one went down, the information would be relayed to the spandex clad man, who would report it to us, informing us of the situation.

And Iida Tenya, the boy with the engines on his legs was out. He was going to call the teachers, but it was most likely that All Might would arrive faster than anybody, especially if he was originally supposed to be here. Although a small distraction, it would not be a problem, I told myself.

I closed my eyes slightly, breathing out. If Blister was right, if what we did was going to be the right decision, then I should trust him. I had followed Boss for all my life, and as much as it pained me to say it, I did not know how to act when I did not trust his orders. On the other hand, Blister never trusted Boss from the start; it was obvious that he was not going to be able to win over the man no matter what he did.

Boss aimed to control. Blister wanted to be free.

A brown wrapping appeared in front of my face. My eyes widened, cursing myself for letting my guard down, but a sharp knife intercepted the attack, cutting stilts in the fabric.

"Ooh, hi there~" Alter giggled girlishly, but it sounded a little fuzzy because of the feature in the mask. I could almost see her hooded eyes and flushed cheeks. "I didn't know you were a teacher. I would love to cut you up regardless, teehee!"

Eraserhead must have narrowed his eyes behind his goggles. As I observed him, there were times when his hair would float and then sag. It was most likely related to his quirk. When his hair was up, quirks were unusable. When his hair was down, they could be activated once more. If I could realize something as simple as this, there was no way Alter did not.

Alter moved forward, parrying and ripping the fabric that Eraserhead aimed at her. Her attacks were precise and sharp, nothing compared to the first time we met. Although she acted whimsically and was drunk on desperate love, she was strong. She was a killer. She would not be taken down so easily.

Blister bumped his shoulder to mine. I looked up, seeing his eyes peer into mine once more. Calmness was reflected behind the bored shades of blue, and I felt my throat tighten. Double had taken over my other side, being surprisingly quiet. He was watching Alter move throughout the battlefield, but his hand was clenched and touching my hip.

 _These feelings I feel, what are they? Fondness? Relief? Familial attraction?_

 _No, not really. They cannot be, or can they?_

 _I…I do not know anymore._

The millions of scars littering my body. The voice and control over me. The fuzziness in my brain that I couldn't seem to get rid of. Everything felt strange, weird, unknown.

 _What is happening to me? Why do I feel so wrong?_

A yelp shook me out of my daze. Alter had managed to get in close, but the pro hero deflected all of her attacks and wrapped her arms and legs together painfully tight. I felt my feet move forward, but Blister stopped me.

 _Wait,_ he seemed to say.

"You're different from the others," Eraserhead's voice rung out. "The five of you. I've seen some figures in the crowd that look similar to you four, and they all fought me with only the use of their physical prowess. Those that I defeated turned into slime, but this one hasn't," his grip on the material made it wrap itself harder around Alter's body, and a distorted gasp of pain sounded out.

"You're the leaders of this operation, aren't you?" Eraserhead said that with a firm voice, his tone dangerously low and almost growling.

"Yeah, we are," Blister stepped forward, tilting his head in a taunting fashion. "And what about you? What the hell are you supposed to be? A valiant hero, defending the weak? How brave."

Eraserhead tightened the bonds around Alter, receiving another pained grunt.

"Noumu," I whispered, my voice making the creature perk up. "Defeat Eraserhead. Make him unable to move."

The monster leaped in an instant. Meaty, charcoal colored arms reached out to grasp the goggled hero. Eraserhead, sensing the danger he was in, released Alter and jumped away, avoiding the attack. The monster did not stop however. It charged and swiped at the hero, giving him no time for rest.

Double raced over to Alter, bending down and carrying her, supporting her weight as he did so. "Are you okay? You look as fine as hell!"

Alter let out small coughs, but when she rose her head to look up at us, there was a dreamy haze in her eyes. "I'm just fine~"

"I was so worried! Not really, I know you'd be just alright!"

She let out a small giggle, letting go of Double to trudge on over to me. "Did you see that? He reeked of blood, and he's so strong," Alter, dare I say, swooned over the hero currently being beaten to a pulp by the monster. She put her hands on her cheeks, sighing. "And now, he's covered in more blood. How fantastic…"

I glanced at the scene in front of me. At least thirty villains were defeated, lying down motionless. Noumu was currently smashing Eraserhead's head into the ground, causing blood to drip onto the ground. The scarf clad man was grunting and trying to get up in pain, but Noumu was much too powerful for him to have stood a chance.

I walked on over to the two, raising a hand. "Stop, Noumu."

The creature paused in its movements entirely, its hand still on the back of the hero's head. I looked down at the bloody hero, analyzing his wounds. Most of the bones in his body were broken, blood was seeping out of his nose, forehead and his red rimmed eyes, but he was still alive.

"Eraserhead. You are a strong opponent, but you are no match for this monster. Surrender."

He spat out blood, raising his head weakly. His eyes glowed with red, his hair elevating ever so slightly. A glare was plastered onto his face. He was not going to give up; he was going to fight to the very end to protect his students. It was as if he was fighting against me even with his broken body.

I closed my eyes. It was just as Blister said. How brave. How heroic. How foolish.

But…it was not as if I did not understand.

A small memory of my father flashed through my head, and I opened my eyes once more.

"Then you shall perish," I whispered, raising a hand."Goodbye, Eraserhead."

The entrance to the huge dome slammed open. I paused. It was as if the air in the area stilled for a single moment, before gazes started tracing the source of the noise.

Standing at the entrance, with the two double sized doors mercilessly kicked open, was a figure with blonde hair and bulging muscles. This character was known for his boisterous laughter, his wide smile, and his overwhelming power.

I narrowed my eyes, retracting my hand from Eraserhead. _But not today._

There was no smile.

"It's alright now," his voice was loud, booming, and furious.

"I AM HERE!"

 _So here he comes._ I made eye contact with Blister, who nodded.

 _This is the starting line._

 **XXX**

All Might was here, he was here.

Izuku felt his fist tremble, and it wasn't just because his finger was bleeding. It wasn't simply out of relief either. He wasn't like his classmates who cheered at the sight of the blonde hero, who were just glad that he was here to save them.

Izuku always watched the morning news. He always checked the updates for the latest information about heroes and villains, especially those about All Might.

Three hours a day. Although All Might had done his best to cut down on his hero saving to train Izuku, he was the symbol of peace. He was supposed to save people in need, and now that Izuku was in U.A, the mad did not have to look over Izuku's every training time anymore.

Izuku wasn't blind; he saw how All Might's power had decreased ever since he passed his quirk on to the young teen. At first, it was barely noticeable, but recently, it was starting to get clearer and clearer. He flinched more every time he had to carry a car with a hand. His punches no longer caused a rip in the clouds. He was getting weaker.

 _And it's because of me. Because he passed his power onto me. I can't even protect my classmates from these villains, how am I supposed to save normal civilians in need…?_

Izuku bit his lip, shaking his head furiously. No, this was no time to think like that. Stop it, he told himself, panting slightly.

"You kids stay here," All Might spoke, his eyes focused on the middle of the chaos. "Do not move. I will take care of this."

He disappeared in a flash. In that moment, from what Izuku could see, the mighty hero had saved Eraserhead from the clutches of the black skinned monster, and he even got a blow in the petite looking villain. Their hand was sagging limply, and from experience, Izuku knew that their hand was broken. The odd thing was that that villain never made a single sound; they didn't even look at their injury. They just looked at All Might calmly, and behind their hood, Izuku felt as if that they were analyzing ever single bit of the hero.

A chill ran down his spine. This villain was not normal. This villain was strong. Powerful.

Horrifying.

He didn't know why he felt like that, but his gut lurched at the sight of them straightening their back to face All Might.

"Shouto-kun," Izuku managed to get out. His childhood friend looked at him for a moment, and his heterochromia eyes widened before narrowing.

"Izuku, don't. Don't even think of it. All Might will be fine, he's strong enough to defeat them." Shouto's voice was persistent, maybe even forceful, but Izuku had already made up his mind.

Shouto did not know of All Might and his relationship. When Izuku received One for All, Izuku had mentioned to his best friend that he was learning under a teacher that his newly emerged quirk was similar to. He did not divulge any more than that, because All Might had warned him that the more people knew about their secret, the more people would be in danger. He could never put Shouto in danger.

He had to go. He had to go and help his mentor.

A hand reached out to grab his shoulder. Izuku looked back to see Shouto gritting his teeth slightly, his face set in a slight glower. "If you're going, I'm coming."

Izuku bit his lip harder; he could almost feel the metallic taste of blood. "Okay. Okay."

Shouto nodded. Izuku spared a glance behind him; his classmates were looking at them with worry etched across their faces.

"Midoriya? Todoroki?" Sero voiced, his tone laced with uncertainness.

"What're you two talking about?" Ashido questioned, her eyes still rimmed with tears from All Might's entrance. "Are you okay?"

Shoji looked at them, his expression unreadable. Izuku forced a smile on his face, trying to stop the feeling of dread clawing its way into his mind.

"It's okay. We'll be back."

"But All Might said to stay here! You can't be seriously thinking of charging in! Didn't you see? Aizawa-sensei was defeated in a second! There's no way you two can stand up to those monsters!" Sero yelled, trying to stop them.

"Sero's right, Midoriya! Todoroki!" Ashido tried as well, her voice shaking slightly. "It's too dangerous!"

Shouto turned his back towards them. His voice was low when he spoke, "We'll be fine. Let's go Izuku."

Izuku nodded. Ignoring their classmate's worried calls; the two of them rode Shouto's ice as he made a wave with his quirk. The path of ice shifted rapidly as they approached the root of the entire disaster, the League of Villains.

Izuku tore off a piece of his school jersey and wrapped it around his slightly bleeding finger, wincing lightly as the pain hit him. He was sure that five percent of his power was not enough to blow the villain away, but he was glad that he somehow refrained from using a hundred percent. His finger was not that badly bruised and broken compared to when he did.

"Izuku," Shouto cut in his train of thoughts. The teen was still looking at the League, but his concentration was also on his friend beside him. "When we get there, I'm going to immobilize the black freak. You just assist All Might if he gets into trouble, don't attack them first."

"But, Shouto-kun-"

"Izuku, they're dangerous," Shouto turned his head to narrow his eyes at him. "It's not like sparring with me, or training with your mentor, whoever he is. This is a matter of life and death. I don't want to lose you."

"But I can't just sit back and watch either!" Izuku raised his voice. "If worst comes to worst, I'll have to be one attacking first!"

Shouto gritted his teeth, opening his mouth.

"A fight? Not very heroic, or timely, huh?" A lazy voice pierced through their conversation. Izuku and Shouto sucked in a breath as they turned around, spotting a tall figure standing right behind them. His hair was jet black, the top of his face covered by a mask while the bottom part was obscured behind the collar of his long coat. Although Izuku could not see his expression, he had the feeling that the man was looking down on them with a condescending smirk.

Shouto immediately blasted the man with his left side, the embers engulfing his lanky stature. Izuku turned around and raised his arms, preparing himself in case of an attack, no matter how unlikely.

"Hmm? These are your flames? Pity, I thought they were stronger," the same voice spoke out.

Shouto's flames were dispersed almost instantly. The man was standing there, completely fine; even his clothes had no signs of burns on it.

 _Fireproof clothing._ Izuku's eyes widened. _That means-_

"See you later, pipsqueak," the masked man took something out of his pocket and flung it at them, jumping off the wave of ice in the process. A capsule of sorts hit the ground below them, and it exploded into purple smoke, covering every inch of their vision. Izuku held his breath as the ice beneath them gave away, and before he knew it, they were falling through the air.

Izuku hurriedly grabbed Shouto's arm, the teen already looking around for any platform, anything he could touch to freeze and stop them before they reached the ground. However, they were in the open, nothing to grab, powerless to do anything.

Izuku remembered what he did at the end of the entrance exam, and looked down. If he timed it right, he could cushion their fall. He would probably render his finger useless in the process, especially because there were two of them, but it was better than both of their bodies being squashed to a pulp.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Midoriya-kun! Todoroki!" A familiar voice shouted.

A gust of wind blew from below, stopping their momentum. The entire area was soon engulfed in a huge whirlwind, blowing away some of the fallen bodies down below. When Izuku looked up, he could not believe his eyes.

"Let go of me you damn creep!" Bakugou was shouting as he pounded on Yoarashi's arm.

"Woaaah! This is awesome!" Kirishima was carried in Yoarashi's other arm, grinning widely as they flew through the air. "Yoarashi! Your quirk's so manly!"

"I said let go of me!"

"Wahaha! Thank you, Kirishima-kun! Bakugou-kun, stop that! I might drop you!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN FUCKING TELLING YOU TO DO!"

"Bakugou…? Yoarashi, Kirishima?" Shouto muttered from beside Izuku, floating safely in the air as well. "Looks like they're safe."

"Yoarashi-kun! Kirishima-kun! We're glad you're safe, but there's something we have to do!" Izuku shouted over the wind, looking down at where the enemy was. Three of them were looking up; a tall figure was shaking his arms widely while the smallest one was swaying from side to side. The same one that had assaulted Izuku and Shouto just now was the same as before, hands stuffed in his pockets with sagged shoulders.

But the one who was standing in front of All Might didn't budge. They didn't even look up; their gaze was focused on the number one hero, who was currently trading blows with the black monster.

Yoarashi seemed to get the point immediately, the friendly grin on his face melting away to a fierce look. "We came here for that too! They can't hear us too well over the wind, so it's okay to talk! The three of us were going to take down that warp gate, but we couldn't find him anywhere!"

"That's not right! Without the bastard, there's no way the enemy can escape!" Bakugou shouted, looking at everywhere but Izuku. Izuku paused, remembering how the warp hole had mysteriously disappeared after Shouto's attack, a slop of silver goo falling down instead.

"If you're talking about the misty guy, he turned into some kind of mud after I used my quirk on him!" Shouto raised his voice.

Bakugou's head snapped towards him. "WHAT?!"

Yoarashi seemed to pause, before looking down once more. "Guys, watch out!"

The gale blew them apart as smoke erupted from below. It was the same purple smoke that had emitted from the strange capsule the man threw at them, Izuku realized.

Izuku closed his mouth shut as he trusted Yoarashi to bring them to the enemy. The smoke billowed and the wind blew in his ears, he could hardly sense anything. But when light broke out and the League was right in front of them, Izuku knew that Yoarashi had done a perfect job.

"Yeah, Yoarashi! That was so awesome and manly!" Kirishima slammed his fists together beside Izuku. "Midoriya! Looks like we're teaming up again, huh?"

"Cut the chit chat, losers," Bakugou growled from in front of them. "Just fucking go!"

Explosions erupted from the blonde as he charged towards the one behind the monster. However, before he could land a hit, one of the enemies interfered with a throwing knife that Bakugou barely dodged. It sliced his cheek and blood poured out, causing him to halt for a second.

"No, no, you can't interrupt! All Might is supposed to get killed by the ugly monster, he's not supposed to be saved by one!" A feminine voice rung out, giggling as she spoke. The way the villain talked sent chills up his spine, one that told him that this villain wasn't quite right in the head.

 _But then again, if they had the guts to raid USJ in the middle of the day, common sense didn't really matter to them, huh?_

"Bakugou! Let me handle this one, my skin is way tougher than those knives!" Kirishima activated his quirk, his face set in a hard expression as he charged towards the female. She simply tilted her head and charged at Kirishima without any warning, jutting out knives that clashed against his armor.

A hand settled on Izuku's shoulder as a drawled out voice entered his ear, "No time to be looking on now, huh?"

Izuku turned around, activating his quirk in his fist and punching the air. The lanky man had managed to dodge at the last second, but not before Shouto's flames engulfed him once more.

"So, you, huh?" Izuku swore he heard the man say. "Alright then, you're supposed to be here after all."

 _What?_

A huge blast sounded out. Izuku turned around to see Bakugou emitting another blast, one that shot him straight to who appeared to be the leader. The leader turned around at that moment, and it almost seemed like it was going to attack the rapidly approaching blonde, but for some reason, their movement stilled.

A blast covered their face as Bakugou yelled out, "DIEEEE!"

 **XXX**

 _Hey, are you alright?_

A shadow wavered in front of me.

 _He landed a pretty good hit huh? Damn that boom box, I can't believe he just did that!_

Who…are you…?

 _Now come on, you can't faint now! I know this feels like a rollercoaster slamming into your skull from the inside, but hey, I'm doing the best I can!_

What…?

 _You should feed yourself some ice cream. Chocolate chip is the best. Now, go back!_

My vision returned.

I swung my leg up, feeling it make contact with the blonde's stomach. A strained gasp was heard, but I didn't manage to break his ribs. He avoided the brunt of it by using another blast to propel himself backwards, landing a few meters in front of me.

When the smoke cleared, I saw his face properly for the first time. He had glowering, ruby red eyes with a menacing scowl on his face. His posture was hostile, tense, and angry. He was like a rabid wolf ready to pounce; he was going to attack me without any mercy.

A guy like this was no big deal. I have seen and killed many like him before.

So why? Why did my head felt like it was going to split itself open?

"You fucking villain!" The blonde snarled. "Just do us all a favor and drop dead!"

 _Shut up._

He charged at me once more, readying a palm to blast me with his quirk. I moved closer in an instant, using my smaller stature to my advantage. Before he could even release a spark, I grabbed his upper arm, threw him in the direction he was moving in, and slammed his back into the ground.

He let out a strained gasp, but I didn't give him time to rest. I stomped my foot onto his throat, cutting off his ability to speak. Gripping both of his arms upwards and moving my foot to his chest, I pressured his body, taking away his freedom.

"Do not resist," I willed my voice to keep steady, hoping that the distortion would be enough to mask my unease. "Stay down."

The blonde hacked and coughed, but his red eyes never stopped glaring at me. His voice wouldn't come out, but his mouth moved.

 _Fuck you._

I didn't react, keeping him down as I looked up to see how Noumu and All Might were faring.

A blast of wind hit my face and the earth cracked.

The monster and All Might were going all out. Noumu was matching every punch, every blow All Might was giving was being absorbed into that monstrous amount of flesh and muscle, and given back just as much. All Might's body was battered with bruises, blood was trickling down his forehead, but there was a light in his eyes that was still shining brightly.

Heroes, all of them here had that light. That light of determination that shone brightly even in the face of despair. Did only heroes have that certain glow to them? I would never know.

"KIDS! PLEASE STAY BACK!" All Might yelled. He parrying the monster's attacks and yet, was still worried about his students. "I will handle this!"

"All Might sir, your passion is super duper amazing as usual, but let us help!" Yoarashi shouted, building up a gust to blow us away. Debris and such flew towards us in the process. When a particularly large bit came flying towards me, I had to let go of the explosive blonde and jump away.

"Yoarashi's right, All Might! Don't worry, we'll handle these guys!" Kirishima grabbed Alter's blades and aimed a punch at her abdomen, causing her to let go of it and flip backwards.

Orange embers made the temperature around us rise, and a cold chill made it go down once more. The duo colored teen was aiming both of his quirks at Blister, who was dodging most of them with ease. The man sometimes threw capsules and smoke bombs and such, but it seemed like he was toying with the boy more than anything.

 _I…hate him!_

 _You're just a kid! You're not…one…suffers!_

 _You're…friend._

… _help each other….are for…?_

 _So…Jenga battle?_

A bright, red flash entered my vision.

"All Might!" A boy with hair was green as his eyes appeared in front of me, aiming a punch at my face. I stepped backwards and bended low enough to dodge it. When he looked surprised that I managed to avoid his attack, I flipped backwards and landed a hit on his jaw, getting to my feet.

"Grgh!" He held the lower part of his face in pain, blood leaking slightly out of his mouth.

The world swerved.

 _He…y!_

 _Why are you so scared of me?!_

 _I don't deserve to live!_

 _Do…want to be a hero?_

… _Yes._

Who are you? Why can I see you? Who is that small boy in the back of my head, with bruises and burns, scars and tears running down his face?

"Who…are you…?" Before I knew it, those words slipped out of my mouth.

The boy merely glared at me, removing his hand from his jaw and taking a stance, one arm under his chest, another in front while his legs were apart.

"…My name is Midoriya Izuku," he stated tensely. "I am, the most fantastically awesome 15 year old in the universe, and I will become the number one hero, no matter what."

My gut lurched.

Heat exploded in front of my face. I grunted in surprise and pain, and cupped my mouth instinctively. My crow's mask had been blown off, and burning red eyes entered my blurry sight.

"DI-" The sound of a breath being swallowed.

The earth cracked once more. Pure energy erupted as high winds blew us off our feet. I frantically directed my gaze to where All Might and Noumu were, but there was only one figure standing there.

All Might was there, panting heavily with blood running down his arm. Smoke billowed around him, spreading everywhere, coating the scene in heavy smog. The ground around him was broken and uneven, and Noumu was nowhere to be seen.

"This…is what it means to be a hero," All Might heaved, clenching his fist and sending me a heavy glare, one that sent chills down my spine. "This…is what it means to go beyond, young villain."

Noumu was defeated. Blown off to god knows where. Our work here was done, the plan was finished.

I raised my voice, but muffled it slightly with my hand. "Everyone! Fall back! We're retreating!"

"Okie dokie! Bye bye, red one! I really enjoyed our fight together, if you were covered in more blood, I'm sure you'd be just my type, hehe!" Alter giggled loudly and retracted her blades, prancing over to me quickly.

"Yeah, yeah! This was the worst play date ever!" Double howled as he kept his measuring tape back into his outfit, avoiding flying rocks as he sprinted towards us.

"Goodbye for now, squirt," Blister came to my side, pulling off the pin of a grenade looking item.

When he threw it onto the ground, black smoke engulfed us. I pressed a finger to the earpiece in my ear and whispered, "Take us back."

The familiar chill of Haze's warp portal appeared at our backs. Alter leaned into it, still trapped in her giggles, and Double followed after, hooting loudly. I caught Blister's look before he proceeded, lazily walking towards the misty hole.

I sucked in a breath, the memory of what happened still rattling me. I turned around, taking a step, but not before I felt a blast behind me with a hand grabbing onto my arm.

I swerved, my eyes widening when I saw furious red eyes glaring into me. The last time I saw him, I could only see anger, pure unhinged fury, but now, there was confusion, desperation, hollowness mixed into his conflicted expression. His teeth were gritted, his eyebrows were furrowed, but why did he look like he had seen the most horrifying thing in his life?

 _You…boom box!_

 _I'm…the most fantastically awesome…!_

 _Don't mess with…anymore._

 _He…monster…_

You…too? You and those boys, why did being around you made me feel like I was drowning?

There were cries. Someone was crying for him, calling out for him.

"KACCHAN!"

The hole swallowed us up before I could swing him off, and we entered the abyss together.

 **XXX**

No. No, no, no, no, no, no.

This couldn't be. This was not right, this was impossible.

Katsuki heaved as he gripped her collar. He was sitting on top of her, his legs jammed against her side. He could barely register what was going on around him, he could hear voices, maybe three males and one female, but nothing they said entered his brain.

No, no, no.

His hands shook. Sweat dripped from his face and onto her cheek, her round, pale cheek. Her eyes were wide open and she was panting, her lips parted as the charred skin stood out. The colors in her eyes were milky, brownish and yet, looked like there was a storm, a haze trapped in them.

Katsuki finally found his voice.

"Why? Why…are you here?"

It was shaky, angry, and full of emotion that he didn't know what to do with.

"You…You're not supposed to be here!"

Pale skin, blood dripping. Scratches and wounds and cries of help from within white walls. She looked exactly the same as she did in his dreams, those stupid dreams that had haunted him ever since he saw her being taken away. Saw her being killed.

 _She was supposed to be dead, not alive, not looking like she was barely scraping past the day._

 _She was supposed to be full of life, of vigor, of spirit and passion and guts that stood up against him. She was supposed to have determination in her words, her gaze, she was not supposed to look like this._

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Katsuki screamed, pulling her closer to his face, not caring if he was choking her. "WHAT ARE YOU?"

Her mouth finally moved. "Who…am I? Who…are you?"

Him?

"You don't fucking remember me?" His voice quivered. He was just so angry, so furious, so lost. "Don't give me that shit! You were attacking the goddamn school where icy-hot and Deku were and you DON'T KNOW?!"

"I," she whispered, the haze in her eyes clouding, blowing, and slowly, slowly clearing. "I…"

"There's no way this was a damn coincidence! You've been alive behind all our backs this entire time, and you have the fucking nerve to pretend you don't REMEMBER?!" Katsuki yelled, feeling his vision blur. Warm liquid poured down his face, dripping against her face, her eyelids, her neck.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't stand it.

"URARAKA OCHAKO!" He screamed, feeling his emotions overwhelm his entire being. "YOU'RE FUCKING URARAKA OCHAKO!"

It was as if a thread had been cut. The murky haze in her eyes cleared for a second, a tiny, miniscule second, before the light blacked out.

The last thing Katsuki remembered was the feeling of a gloved hand on his cheek.

* * *

 **U.S.J! Done!**

 **So, it took me a while. Sorry, but this chapter was a huge whirlwind of feels. It was fun writing Inasa, Eijiro and Katsuki together though. Best passionate bros. Imagine if Inasa was in the Baku gang. That would be fun. Maybe I should write an AU for this AU, fwhaha.**

 **So, Baku and Ocha. I wonder if anyone saw this coming? I think I sprinkled a little foreshadowing here and there, so it might not be such a big surprise. Maybe, I dunno, when you're the author it's hard to tell.**

 **New readers are very surprised at how this story turned out, and I am sorry, but I do not regret what I did. It's dark and angst-y now, but I do not know how much it is for your heart. And although I know it's useless, comments that just criticize the plot without being of much help isn't really inspiring. If you don't like it, please just leave quietly without leaving a hateful comment, the world doesn't need more hate than it already has.**

 **On the other hand, readers who enjoy my story and are looking for more! Or those who like my writing style, but are weak against sad emotions! I may, or may not, be writing a fantasy Au with my favorite MHA pairings. It may or may not be out soon, but I am slowly working on it! I have no idea if it'll be a big one, but when I plan, it tends to get really long so…**

 **Again, thanks for reading, reviewing, following and or favoriting! Support makes me warm and happy inside and I tend to treasure positive reviews for a long time!**

 **My twitter name is here if you wish to contact me and talk about anime stuff: Runefairy12**

 **See you most probably next month!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


	26. Chapter 25: Five new steps

**Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA (MHA).**

* * *

 **Zero to Hero**

 **Chapter 25: Five new steps**

When the same, familiar view of a wide, open space revealed itself to my eyes, I instinctively knew where I was.

" _Hey! You're back!"_ The same cheerful voice greeted me. I pushed myself up from the cracked ground, some of my pale hair falling into my eyes as I shifted my gaze to meet hers.

" _You look horrible,"_ Shadow commented, the same, white smile stretching across her face. _"But I guess that makes two of us!"_

I stood up slowly, straightening my back to meet her height. She was still far away, but as I looked closer, I could cracks in the space. It was as if there was a glass barrier between us, but it was breaking down, piece by piece.

I walked towards her, feeling as if my feet were made out of lead.

" _So, the angry Pomeranian, huh?"_ She mused, tapping her foot in thought. " _Never expected him to be the trigger. The second one anyway. Damn, we owe him big time, don't we?"_

I stopped in front of her. The cracks were becoming more and more obvious; I could see that they stretched up all the way to the endless, brown sky above us. I stared at the shadow, who was slowly shifting, wavering, as if she could not maintain her form any longer.

No, not she. Us, we, _me._

"It has been quite a while, hasn't it?" I whispered, feeling the wind caress my hair.

" _Naw, I've always been in you,"_ Shadow laughed loudly, her voice shaking. _"It's just time."_

"Will I disappear?" I tilted my head, asking her softly. "Will you?"

" _We'll be one,"_ Shadow smiled, her twinkling brown eyes making themselves clear. _"Just more badass and awesome. I mean, I have an amazing sense of humor, and you're the hard-ass assassin. We'll go great together!"_

"We will make it work," I reached out a hand, as did she. "We always do."

" _We will,"_ she said with certainty, her fingers touching the glass, the exact moment mine did. _"Because we're-"_

"Uraraka Ochako," we chorused softly, closing our eyes. "The most fantastically awesome fifteen year old in the universe."

 _Crack._

A bright light consumed my sight.

 **XXX**

A faint light flickered on top of me.

I blinked, groggily opening my eyes as my senses slowly woke up. I felt the familiar, yet, strange fabric of my blanket draped over my sleeping body. The ceiling melted into a view that was recognizable, yet also, unfamiliar. It was something that I- no, Zero-had seen many times, and I knew that I was back at the lair, in Zero's room.

Damn, this is confusing. Zero, Ochako? Should I mix it up and turn my name into Zechako or something?

"So, you're awake?" The sound of shuffling cloth caught my attention. I tilted my head to the side to see dark purple skin that was as wrinkly as an old bat, and bored eyes that shone like ice.

Dabi. Or, well, Blister, you get the idea.

"Hey, there," I croaked, my voice sounding as if I was put through a grater. "You got any water? I'm practically dying over here."

He blinked, surprise taking over his features, finally getting rid of that sunken look on his face. I felt my lips tug up slightly, feeling slightly smug that I had managed to shift his expression in the ten seconds that I had woken up.

He got from the chair he was sitting on, walking over to me. He grabbed the glass of water on the small table there, and practically shoved it in my face. Clearly, he had no idea how to take care of a used to be amnesiac who was dying of a massive headache.

I pushed my body up as much as I could, and let out small grunts as my brain throbbed. Grabbing the cold glass, I peered at it, before looking up at him once more.

"This isn't poisoned right? You're not trying to assassinate me or something?"

He blinked once more, looking more taken aback the more I spoke. "No. Not that you can trust me, especially now."

I shrugged, saying, "Eh, I trusted you before," and drank it slowly, carefully as not to choke.

He observed me as I did, finally speaking up after I put the empty cup back on the table. "You're different. You got your memories back then, huh."

I furrowed my eyebrows, crossing my arms. "Different? Memories? And who told you that, the asshole that did this to me in the first place, or the shitty misty guy who was just pretending to care for me the entire time?"

My voice was still raspy, and my head still pounded, but I was recalling more and more as my mind cleared slowly. I kept my emotions down; rage, sadness, all of the vulnerability I felt just by remembering, and shoved them into a box in the back of my mind. I would not break down in front of Dabi, even if he was Blister before.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement entering his gaze. "Neither. I snooped around and found out myself. Uraraka Ochako, currently fifteen years old, and was taken away from all the people she loved at the young age of ten. How tragic."

I scowled. "And you're an asshole, so-called Blister. That's the first thing you say that's remotely memorable to a former amnesiac, and it's the worst wakeup call ever. Why were you even watching me as I slept? Are you a pedophile?"

He blinked once more, a strange emotion entering his stare as he did. He seemed surprised, lost, and yet intrigued at the same time. "You're chatty. Nothing like Zero. If I had met you like this, I would've burned you to the ground."

"And I would have kicked your ass, but that's not important right now," I sighed, bringing up my hands to rub at my temple. "I have a killer headache that's not getting better, and your voice isn't exactly helping me, no matter how raspy and edgy you try to make it. Could you leave me alone?"

"Bakugou Katsuki is tied up and gagged," Blister said, completely ignoring me. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back slightly, staring at me with those mocking, yet interested eyes. "He's waiting for you in the bar room. The entire gang's there, waiting for you, Zero."

"Don't call me Zero, or I'll call you number Uno," I stressed, glaring at him. "Just…move your ass, I'll be there after I've…sorted out everything in my head. Or the majority of it, or until I don't feel like throwing myself into a shredder."

He tilted his head in a mocking salute, turning on his heels and shutting the door with a small click. Damn he was an asshole. Was he always like that or I was just too dense as Zero to understand it?

I plopped back onto the bed, closing my eyes. The thoughts and memories churned in my head, giving me no time to rest as vision after vision flashed on the back of my eyelids. I was stabbed, taken away from all the people I loved, brainwashed into thinking that that shitty ass crow was my Boss and…

All for One as my father. Wow, I was seriously deranged. Did that creep even have a family? Probably not, I mean, look at his face! He didn't even have a nose-

I slapped my cheeks, puffing out air. Okay, okay, focus, I could do it before, it shouldn't be a problem now.

I recruited Dabi, Toga Himiko and Twice, that was a lot faster than canon and I couldn't recall even meeting Giran yet, before finding out about…the Hibikis.

My eyes popped open as the shock slowly numbed my senses.

Hibiki. Hibiki Fuyuka. Assassin family. Family of killers.

Holy….shit.

Shouto was a yakuza baby? Okay, maybe not yakuza, but he had assassin blood in him?

As I pondered more on the thought, surprisingly, I could totally see him with numerous tattoos engraved on his body as he smoked a pipe with sunglasses on, a katana in his hand. I slapped my hands over my eyes again and breathed.

 _Process. Come on, you can do it. Process, think, sort it all out. Calm down, calm down._

A few minutes ticked by. My breathing slowed down, my chest stopped heaving, but my forehead was glistening with sweat. I felt as if my body was sleeping on needles one moment, then everything around me disappeared into a void. My mind was racing one moment, then absolutely silent in the next.

I needed time. I needed more time. I couldn't do all of this right now, not when there was a storm brewing in the room next to me.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out, slowly waking up and throwing the blankets off me. Pushing myself to stand up, I got down from my rickety bed and got onto my shaking feet. I paddled to the broken mirror that hung loosely from the wall across me and peered into it. I ran a hand through my shoulder length hair, feeling the uneven cuts and dryness, seeing the whiteness on the cracked surface. Eyes that were pale, no longer a deep brown reflected back, disfigured.

Uraraka Ochako was a girl who was cheerful and bright like the sun. She never gave up even in the face of adversity. She kicked ass with her G.M.A and quirk. She loved heroes and her family and friends with all her heart. She was a good girl who was beautiful on the outside and inside.

I was an ordinary woman taking her place in this messed up world. I was spirited, passionate, but I never thought things through and I wanted to believe that I could do anything if I tried. I wanted to save everyone, but I left Izuku and Shouto and everyone behind. I took on a new identity and betrayed so many of my precious people by killing, stealing, having no trace of the person I used to be.

But not anymore. Because no matter what, I was Uraraka Ochako now, and this wacked up course the world decided to take? Only I had the slightest inkling of what was coming, only I could do something that the damned crow and the villain wouldn't expect.

 _Do I? What if this world was too messed up for me to anticipate anything? Why did that crow even come after me in the first place? Did he know about me? Everything?_

I pulled my hair back, the uneven bangs falling everywhere in my face. Grabbing a random rubber band that was lying around, I tied it up into a messy ponytail, showing my face even better than before. I blew some of the strands out of my eyes, mustering the widest smile I could possible do, teeth all shown.

"Well, at least I don't look like a gremlin anymore," I mused, straightening my back.

All right. I breathed once more, turning around and walking towards the door. As my fingers gripped the handle, I gave myself a moment, recalling angry, lost eyes as desperate fingers grabbed my arm. I looked down, seeing bandages wrapped around the burnt area.

I flung open the door, opening my mouth.

"HEY, ANYONE GOT ANY OREOS IN HERE?!"

 **XXX**

Katsuki honestly could not believe his eyes.

That - that irritating idiot was sitting on the table in front of him, cross-legged, munching on beef jerky as she stared at him with those stupidly pale eyes. The cronies around her were staring at her as well, as if they had no idea how to react to the scene in front of them. The tall, dark bastard was looking at her like he wasn't sure whether to bust a nut laughing or hit her upside the head. The blond bitch looked frozen, the knife that she was fiddling around with on the ground for the past ten minutes. The masked joker was also staring at her with his posture completely down, his shoulders were sagged as were his mouth.

Katsuki didn't see the misty guy anywhere, but he was sure that that asshole was lurking around somewhere, he could feel it in his gut.

"So," the idiot finally spoke, still chewing. "How come the hideout doesn't have any Oreos? I mean, we're a buncha crooks, aren't we? Why aren't we living the thug life right?"

"Ze-ze-zero-chan…?" The blonde actually looked incredulous.

She nodded. "Yeah, if you want to be called number Dos. At least, I think you were after this asshole," she pointed a thumb at the tall dark bastard. "And mask man, I'm gonna call you Tres if you don't get a chair and sit down, you look constipated. I can totally see your expression behind your mask."

The masked dork did so numbly, his mouth opening and closing numerous times.

Tall dark and smoky finally opened his own. "So? What are you going to do with this, Leader?"

"Shut up Uno, you don't get an opinion for being a relentless ass," she wiggled her finger at him. For a moment, Katsuki could see brown hair and intense eyes that were the same, but it all flashed away as soon as it came. "And Boom-box, if I get that tape off your mouth, will you promise me that you won't shout, swear, or go blasty-blasty until I say it's okay?"

Katsuki growled, hoping that his eyes showed enough of his bloodlust.

"…I guess not," she muttered, scratching her head. "Well, anyway, I need to know what happened after I passed out. Anyone that isn't Uno can fill me in? Dos?"

Blondie bent down to pick up her sharp weapon, tucking it in somewhere in her clothes. "…Zero-chan."

"Yeah-" but before she could say anything more, a knife was thrown at her, slicing open her cheek.

The air changed immediately. White's eyes narrowed as another knife was thrown at her, tilting her head sideways to avoid it. Blonde sprinted towards her, metal glinting in her fingers as she swiped and twirled, moving fast, but Katsuki's eyes could keep up with them. She was aiming for her eyes, throat, weak points on any normal human being. White was not backing down though. She moved in sync with her attacker, pushing her arms away, dodging, flipping over furniture, as if it was a thing that happened every day.

It didn't take Katsuki long to realize that it was.

"Zero-chan, you're Zero-chan, right?" Blonde's voice seemed distorted as if she wasn't sure what to believe.

"A part of her is me," White answered, gripping the girl's wrist. "And a part of me is just a girl who loves too much for her own good. I'm both of them. I'm Uraraka Ochako. And you?"

Her gaze flittered to everyone in the room, roaming, searching. "Who are you?"

There was a lull. Katsuki felt his fists tighten, the coil in his heart growing thicker, choking him, suffocating his life.

She had no right to say that name. Not her, never her.

 _He spent countless nights seeing her crying, bleeding, breaking apart. The more he saw her face, the more he couldn't help remembering. Why was it him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? He would have been able to forget about her, someone like her-_

A clap in front of his face jolted him back to reality. He brought his head up, immediately staring into her faintly colored eyes. She reached out a hand and promptly tore the piece of silver tape off his mouth.

The reaction was instant.

"THE FUCCCKKKKK!?" Katsuki yelled, his lips literally feeling like they were on fire. "You damn bitch, I'll kill you! Die! Die! Die! Die-"

She covered his mouth, pressing both of her palms to it. Katsuki tried to bite her fingers, but she was careful, and surprisingly strong as well. Katsuki wished he had a bomb in his mouth, or that his quirk worked with his saliva.

"I mean, I really didn't expect anything less, but man, you're a piece of work, aren't you?" She spoke monotonously, an eyebrow raised. Although she acted like she didn't give a fuck, Katsuki could see the emotions whirling in her eyes, and for some reason, that sight managed to make him pause. She wasn't a robot. She wasn't that empty piece of shit that he had pinned onto the floor. She was alive. She was here.

 _Kacchan!_

Katsuki shut his eyes tightly, breathing out. He could feel his brain pulsing, his heart thudding. He could feel her eyes searching his face, looking for any signs of struggle. He finally opened his eyes slightly, sending her what he thought was the weakest glare in his life. She stared deep into them, before slowly letting go of his mouth.

Katsuki kept his mouth half open, but he was more panting and tired than anything. He was sick of everything. He was tired. He just wanted to go back. Being surrounded with unfamiliar idiots who didn't know what the hell they wanted to do with their lives wasn't ideal. Facing a problem he didn't want to face head on wasn't as well.

Bakugou Katsuki was by no means a coward, he wasn't, but he was drained, and he was human enough to admit that. Only to himself though.

"So," she started, clapping her hands together. "We're going to start over, okay? My name is Uraraka Ochako. I'm the most fantastically awesome fifteen-year-old in the universe, and my goal is to stop a crazy shitshow from happening in the near future while getting us all out of this dumpster. Uno, you go."

Smoky looked at her like she was crazy. Round face rolled her eyes. "Come on. You don't have to reveal your real name or anything, just go with the name you want us to call you."

"Why are we doing this?" Mask started, his voice almost sounding as tired as Katsuki was. "I…We, you… I thought, we knew each other, strangers?"

"No," Round face sat down, facing the four of them head on, her eyes darting between all of them. "We don't. The past me never cared enough to know all of you properly. She cared for you enough that she wanted you guys alive. But I'm not only her. I already told you, I care too much for my own good. You guys were her family. It's only the same that I treat you guys the way I used to treat my own."

Her eyes stopped at his. They were a lot of things. Coldness, warmth, lost, yearning; so many things were trapped in her gaze and Katsuki felt the blood in him rush.

No one answered. They were cold blooded killers, assassins without a heart, they were beings that didn't know warmth. They were villains, the bad guys, the ones that Katsuki was supposed to blow out of existence, so why did this moment feel more vulnerable than anything else?

"…Toga, Himiko," Blonde started, her voice shaking. Her eyes were hooded, her hands were shaking, so it was hard for Katsuki to see her real expression.

"…Bubaigawara Jin," Mask muttered in a voice so small.

"…Blister," Smoky pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. He approached her, his gaze never leaving hers. "Just Blister."

She stared back. The two just stood there for a moment, their focus never breaking.

But then it did, not a moment later. Because her face had just exploded in a wide-ass smile as she reached up to ruffle the taller man's hair.

Katsuki saw Mask fall off his chair. He also heard blonde's shriek of…something. But when Smoky's eyes widened almost comically to the point where his droopy eyelids were straining, Katsuki couldn't help but let out a real snort of laughter.

"Okay, we got this going down!" She released him and then swaggered over to Katsuki, bending down to match his eye level. "Now, boom-box, it's your turn!"

Katsuki instinctively bared his teeth at her. "Go die in a ditch, bleached ass."

"I'm afraid bleach can't come to the phone now, it seems like your sass is too strong to tone down," she fired back immediately, rolling her eyes. "Come on, you might want to. Because there's a high chance we can't just let you go soon."

Katsuki froze. The lightness in her tone faded away, the smile doing the same as well.

"Blister," she raised her voice. "Was Ku…Haze here when I came back?"

"Yeah," Smoky finally got his voice back.

"But he's not here now. There's a high chance that he went to HQ to report to the damn crow, which means, they know that boom is here," she flopped down, now looking at him from below. "But he doesn't know that I got my memories back, right? So that means, if I let you go back to U.A, everyone's gonna assume that Zero let you go. And Zero doesn't just let her victims go. They're going to be suspicious, and that's gonna make it even harder for us to get out of here."

"Get out?" Mask questioned, inching closer to them. "We're breaking out? I love it here, not!"

From the corner of his eye, Katsuki could see Blonde trotting closer. Smoky walked until he was standing beside the chair Katsuki was tied to, leaning on the frame. Katsuki resisted the urge to blast his hands, willing himself to listen to whatever horrifying shit she was going to say.

"You guys, you only joined because of the past me, right?" Round face averted her gaze to Smoky. "You said you were curious to see what was going to happen. Himiko, you said you wanted to become my friend. Jin, you never said anything to me, but you wanted a place to belong, a place that belonged to only you, right?"

There was a pause before she started talking again. "None of us are loyal to the mafia anymore. The only thing that was shackling you guys down was me. And I sure as hell don't want to stay here anymore. Especially now that boom is here, the situation just got a lot more complicated. But I need all of you for this plan." She sucked in a breath.

"So, let me explain how the hell we're going to do this."

 **XXX**

 _Thunk._

 _Thunk._

 _Thunk._

"Would you please stop throwing shurikens at my target?" The smaller Hibiki said in a blank tone, tapping away at his computer.

"Aww, come on, lil' ice cube," the scythe wielder complained, twirling the deadly stars between his fingers. "It's been what, a few hours after U.S.J? And you're still on your pc? What's so important?"

"It's been a few days, half-brother," Kogori muttered dully.

"Ehh, details, details," Reito threw another black star, hitting the bull's eye on hanging on the wall. "So, anything new?"

Kogori's typing ceased for a moment. "Her memory's back. The sport's festival. Be prepared. Hurry and introduce yourself before I puncture you."

 _Thunk._

"Fine, fine," Reito stood up, stretching before pulling up his hood. A small vibration in his pocket grabbed his attention. "Ooh, a notice. Maybe there's a new one to hunt? Ehh, never mind, just get going!"

 _Click._

 **XXX**

Life without Bakugou was strange.

Although the blonde had disappeared at least two weeks ago, Izuku felt as if he would just suddenly appear in class without any warning. He would be there, sitting with his feet up the table, staring at the view outside with his hooded eyes and blank face. Then, when the teacher came in, he would snap back into reality, the wrinkles in between his eyes increasing with his scowl.

Izuku then realized what he was thinking about, shaking his head. The seat in front of him was still empty.

"Izuku," Shouto interrupted his musing, putting a hand on his shoulder. "The lesson's over."

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, turning around to see Tenya and Shouto waiting for him. The taller teen seemed concerned for his friend's wellbeing, his eyebrows slightly mushed together.

"Midoriya-kun, are you okay? You seem to space out more often than usual."

"After USJ," Shouto added, his own wrinkles appearing on his forehead. "Izuku, do you still feel guilty over that?"

Izuku jerked slightly. He mustered a smile and tried to laugh. "No, don't worry, I think I just haven't been getting enough sleep, I guess? The news really keeps me up these days."

Shouto and Tenya proceeded to stare at him. Izuku felt a drop of sweat roll down his back.

"I think Todoroki-chan and Iida-chan are right, ribbit," a new voice chimed in.

Izuku let out a shriek and nearly fell backwards, but Tenya reacted fast enough to steady his chair before he could. Even Shouto let out a small sound of surprise at the sudden interruption. The three of them then looked forward to see a girl with big eyes that seemed almost…frog-like?

"Forgive me for interrupting," she tilted her head, her soft green bangs swaying to the side. "But I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. My name is Asui Tsuyu, please call me Tsuyu-chan."

If Izuku remembered correctly, she was one of the more active learners in class 1-A. She struck Izuku as a girl who spoke her mind; she always asked the teacher questions that helped Izuku in lessons as well, so he was quite grateful for her, but he never thought that she would come up to him and engage in a conversation.

"A-asui-san, you surprised me…" Izuku let out a small breath of relief.

"Tsuyu-chan, ribbit," she said once more.

"Tsuyu-chan-kun!" Tenya let go of Izuku's chair once he had steadied himself. "We're sorry for not noticing you, however, there was no need to sneak up on us like that!"

"I think we were just too distracted to notice her walk up to us," Shouto briefly nodded at the smaller girl.

She nodded back, before turning her attention to Izuku once more. "Midoriya-chan, I realized that you didn't ask Aizawa-sensei as many questions as you used to. I quite enjoyed listening to the answers, so I was wondering if you were okay, ribbit."

Izuku blinked once more, feeling a warmth build in his chest. He felt a genuine smile appear on his lips this time. "Sorry, Asui-san, I was just…wondering. It's quiet without Ka…Bakugou, isn't it?"

"Izu-"

"Why do you always cut yourself off, Midoriya-chan?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku looked at her questionably. She put a finger to her cheek, a habit, Izuku realized. "You tend to start with Ka, when you mention Bakugou-chan's name first. I'm sorry if that was too intrusive, I can't help but ask about the things I'm curious about."

Izuku's fist tightened slightly. His green eyes darted towards where Shouto was, who narrowed his own in return. Shouto's gaze shifted to Asui, and then back to Izuku, still as ever. Izuku let out a small sigh, scratching his cheek.

"Well, it's a…past thing," Izuku slowly said, looking up at Tenya as well, who was facing him with seriousness. "I spent most of my early childhood with Bakugou, and I used to call him by a nickname. A lot of things happened, so we're not on good terms though. I guess old habits die hard?"

Asui nodded. "I see. Thank you for telling me, Midoriya-chan. Although this may seem a little too much, I don't think that you should feel like you're responsible for what happened to Bakugou-chan. Even though I was on the sidelines, it seemed to me that Bakugou-chan jumped into the portal of his own will. He didn't even look back."

"I agree with Asui on this one," Shouto spoke. "Izuku, what happened wasn't your fault. It was his. The press makes it seem like he was taken away, but we were there. We knew what happened."

But that was the problem, Izuku couldn't help but feel something was wrong. The Kacchan he knew wouldn't just jump into a villain's lair without thinking. He was cruel, yes, but he was smart, he should have known that pursuing the enemy in that situation wasn't the best choice of action, and yet, he did.

There must have been something that made him do that. But what? Why was Izuku so hung up on that? Why?

"But, I cannot help but wonder," Tenya murmured, putting a hand to his chin. "If Bakugou-kun really followed them of his own will, what made him do that? It doesn't make any sense."

"Who knows," Shouto looked away, his voice a little strained. "We don't understand anything about him."

The door to the classroom slammed open, and a voice rang out. "Any brats still loitering around should be gone! Class's over and I have to clean up all your messes, so scram!"

Izuku perked up, seeing a familiar figure at the front of the classroom, a broom in hand with the other pushing a cart. Shimura Tenko let out a small sigh of recognition when he saw them, drooping his head.

"Of all the brats it had to be you two…"

Shouto tilted his head downwards slightly. "Hello, Tenko-san."

"Tenko-san," Izuku followed, smiling briefly as well.

Asui bowed as did Tenya, although the latter's movements were a lot more square.

"Hello, Shimura-sensei. My name is Asui Tsuyu, ribbit."

"Pleased to meet you again, Shimura-san! My name is Iida Tenya!"

"Pleased to- who says that anymore?" Tenko face palmed himself, covering his eyes. "Whatever. I ain't gonna remember any of you anyway so I'll just call you froggo and square. And froggo, cut with the sensei shit, it ain't me."

During the USJ incident, Tenko was cleaning the area before their class and got mixed up with the mess that had occurred. Due to that, it seemed like most of his classmates had remembered the shaggy man, much to Izuku's amusement.

"Now get going, green bean squad. The gates are gonna close soon," Tenko made a shooing motion with his hands. As he said that, all of them had turned their heads to look outside, and sun setting in the orange sky entered their vision.

"Oh, we must hurry!" Tenya quickly grabbed his bag as did Asui. Shouto did the same, but Izuku hesitated for a moment. When the two made their way to the door, Shouto stood back to look at Izuku, raising an eyebrow.

Izuku smiled briefly and tilted his head towards the sweeping janitor, and although there was slight hesitance in his movements, the taller teen nodded and made his way to the door.

Izuku shouldered his yellow bag, approaching the janitor. "Tenko-san?"

"Huh?" The older man stopped in his movements, looking down at him. "What?"

"I just remembered that I never had a chance to thank you, so," Izuku bowed deeply, his eyes closed. "Thank you, for that rainy day."

"…Rainy day?" He heard the man muse. "You mean, that time when I found both of you drenched to the bone at that shitty bus stop? That day?"

Izuku opened his eyes and straightened. "Yes."

"Brat, that happened like, six? Five? Years ago and you thank me now?" He scoffed, blowing away a piece of stray hair. "Don't mention it. Seriously."

"Ah, I see…" Izuku trailed off, suddenly not knowing what to say. There was an awkward pause as Izuku couldn't seem to look up, but he could feel the gaze settling on him. There was a scratching sound that caught his attention though, so Izuku lifted his gaze slightly to see the gray-haired man idly scratching at his neck. If Izuku looked closer, he could see small cuts on the skin that seemed like they were formed with nails.

"Did you, always do that?" Izuku asked, making the man stop. He gestured to his own neck, curling his fingers. "Scratch your neck like that."

"Huh?" Surprise was detected from his tone, before he looked down at his own hand. "Damn it. I was doing it again, huh. Fucking old habits. Don't worry about it shrimp, it's just something I do when I'm stressed. It's not gonna kill me."

"But your neck…"

"I'm fine. It just, increased after she died," Tenko shrugged, averting his gaze. Izuku felt guilt strike him, making him quiet again as he looked away.

There was another pause of silence before Tenko let out another heavy sigh. Izuku turned his head back, seeing how the wrinkles between his eyes seemed to increase.

"Hey, shrimp," the man started, leaning slightly on his broom. "Why don't you ever go to her grave?"

Izuku jerked, feeling a cold shiver down his spine. He bit his lip, not sure whether to speak or not.

"I saw that half and half brat a lot of times over the years," Tenko's red eyes seemed to pierce through Izuku's thoughts. "But never you. And considering the amount of times I go, it's weird if I hadn't. Why?"

Izuku's hand wandered to his pocket, trying to remember the feeling of his treasure in there, trying to recall her warmth, her smile. "I can't…I don't think I have the strength to face her yet."

Tenko didn't say anything. Izuku continued, "I see her, in my dreams. I see that moment replaying in front of me, when I was too weak to save her. But then when I wake up, I keep feeling that sense of helplessness, Tenko-san." Izuku turned away. "I'm sorry."

The warm light of the sun seeped into the classroom. Soft winds blew, making the curtains waver in the air. The scene was peaceful, but Izuku's heart felt like it was reflecting the exact opposite.

A hand pushed the younger boy's back. Izuku, not expecting that, yelped as he stuck out a foot, stumbling a little as he caught himself. He flipped his head back, eyes widened and his breath catching when he saw the look in Tenko's eyes.

"Get going, shrimp," his tone was gruff but soft, his eyes were deep, filled with sorrow but understanding, and it just made the clench in Izuku's heart tighter. "The school's gonna close soon. Your crew's waiting for you at the gates."

Your crew, he said. He said that while giving Izuku the most vulnerable look he had ever seen on the man while he turned his back to him, moving his hands as the broom swept at the floor. Izuku raised a hand to his chest, clenching the fabric as it bunched around his fist. The feeling of her brother's hand was still there, it felt like warmth, it felt like a boost of encouragement.

He closed his eyes, feeling the sunlight on his skin as he breathed. He then opened them, Tenko's back still facing Izuku. Izuku approached him, slowly, cautiously, putting his hand on his back as well.

"Tenko-san," Izuku said softly. "Thank you. For everything."

Izuku smiled at the stiffened figure of his savior's family, before turning around, his destination fixed on his friends.

 **XXX**

I chewed on my Oreos, flipping through the reports of my past missions. Every mission I'd done was written on pieces of paper, submitted to the boss and kept another as a copy, stored in the cupboards of the bar. Kurogiri – Haze? That was confusing – hadn't come back after I woke up, which I found extremely strange, but I decided to use his absence to my advantage.

"So," I called back towards my current partner. "Made up your mind yet?"

"Shut your damn trap," the blonde growled, still stubbornly refusing to cooperate as his hands sparked. "And get me out of this fucking thing already!"

"I can't do that until you decide to work with us," I raised my gaze to Bakugou as he struggled against his restrains, still tied to the chair since day one. "You know, you're really persistent. You're probably the only one whose lived this long after facing…shit, I really sound like a villain now," I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples. "Just join us already, boomtastic."

"Shut up," he snarled. "You're not the scariest thing to exist, damn round face. I'll make my own decisions!"

"But the fact is that we don't have many options," I switched to another report, one from two years ago. "And you can't do much. If I let you go, that shitty crow and his lackeys will get suspicious. To be honest, three days is already quite pushing it. I haven't met that shit-stain once after USJ, but I can't meet him without him probably asking about you. The best course of action– "

"Is a pile of bull-crap!" He snapped, his voice growing more and more agitated. "I'm not going to become a fucking villain! I look up to the figure All Might strikes when he wins! No matter what the hell you say, that ain't gonna change!"

"I'm not telling you to give up being a hero forever," I put the papers down and hopped off the counter, facing the tied up teen. "Just for a while. Until it's safe for you to go back. Until we can save the others."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bakugou's hands sparked once more, the scent of smoke in the air thickening. "I couldn't care less about your damn league!"

I sat down facing him, my legs crossed on the wooden chair. "Not the league. Izuku. Shouto. My original family."

He stopped, his eyebrow twitching. I stared at him, bending forward. "Listen to me, Bakugou. What I'm going to say is me being a hundred percent serious. Not that I wasn't serious before, but, you get my drift, don't you?"

I let out a small sigh, my thoughts whirling in my head as my head drooped down. "The crow went after me. Don't you think that's weird? I was just a normal citizen without any kind of record. Any stupid thing I've done never got out to the press."

Like that incident with Endeavor, I mused silently.

"So, why would he come after me? Unless his goal wasn't me," I raised my head, seeing his ruby red eyes still filled with confusion. "But my family. Or, someone bigger."

Bakugou was quiet. He didn't even move an inch. I let out another sigh.

"I know All Might. I was saved by him when I was a kid, and I even attended the Annual Hero Gala on the year I was kidnapped. Maybe one of his lackeys saw me with him then and stalked me or something. But another thing bugs me, don't you think the timing of my 'death' was weird? Why'd he pick that moment when Izuku was with me? It doesn't make any sense."

 _Unless he knew. Unless he knew that Izuku was going to be the reason for his downfall, so he needed to shut him down. Needed to break him through me._

 _Hah, sucks for that idiot_ , I snorted my head, recalling how Izuku stood up to that slime monster, with that pose I was all too familiar with. Recalling how brave he was standing up to the villains in front of him, even using that damn catchphrase. _He's shining brighter than ever, take that shitty fucker._

"He's not after me only. He's after something bigger, something that poses as a bigger threat. I was just used as a stepping stone, and that makes me want to bash his skull in a dumpster and light a fire in his brains," I felt my anger enter my tone, making my fists shake. "If he's after All Might, are you telling me that you don't want to stand up to him? Maybe giving him a fucking hell of a beating for even attempting to mess with your hero?"

I've spent five years trying to shut my emotions down, trying to become stronger, trying to be a perfect doll for that messed up man. If he was going after my loved ones, going after All Might, I had to stop him. I had to stop Overhaul, and All for One. Those were two huge threats that maybe, just maybe, I had a chance of preventing.

 _I had to. Maybe this was why I came here. Maybe that was why all of this happened._

"And I need you for this, Bakugou," I leaned back, fixing my gaze on his. "Because you're an unpredictable element. You could be a key to stopping this shit show. To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to do this. There's just a part of me that knows that I have to. And, although our past together is like, equivalent to a squished grape, there's got to be a reason why you're here. That brings me to another question, why did you come here in the first place?"

Silence. Nothing came back. He wasn't even looking at me anymore, his eyes were blank, lost in his own thoughts.

But as the clock ticked on, another shiver racked my body, one that had nothing, yet, everything to do with the boy in front of me.

I stood up, turning away and walking towards my room in the back. "Think about it, Boom-box. I know you're smarter than you look, and I know as hell that your pride won't let you run away, not after hearing all of that."

I entered my bleak room, closing the door behind me. Feeling another chill rack my entire body, I fell onto my bed, covering my mouth and squeezing my eyes shut.

They were after Izuku, after All Might. All for One knew, didn't he? He told Overhaul, which led to all of this happening. All for One knew about me, how I didn't belong here, that was the only damn explanation that made sense.

But how? How did he? What was he really planning? If he knew about all of that, why hadn't he tried to kill All Might in a more straightforward way? Before I just made everything a whole lot more complicated?

…Me, fucking this up?

…Wait, what was going on in this world before I was shoved into Ochako's body? Was everything exactly the same as canon? Come to think of it, there were so many parts of this scenario that was different. Small details, small things that couldn't have possibly been just because I was here.

Think, think. There must have been a few times that struck me as odd. Go back, remember, remember, damn it!

I gritted my teeth, slamming a foot onto the floor.

In retrospect, I should have seen the next thing coming. I mean, the hideout wasn't exactly a brand-new house. It was old and smelt of burnt wood and alcohol, so really, the floorboards giving away wasn't really anything unexpected.

"Holy shit!" I yelped as my foot pierced through the floor, feeling the wood scratch my skin. "God, this place really needs a whole new makeover," I grumbled, sitting down on the floor and trying to get my foot out. However, the hole seemed to be an asshole, because it was the exact same size as my leg and so, it refused to let it through.

I growled, slamming my other leg to the space around the hole and hoping to make it bigger. But again, it seemed like the wood was as frail as hell, because I accidently made one too big.

I slipped. Yes, me, the once bad-ass assassin _slipped_ , accidents happened after all.

I found myself falling straight through, engulfed in darkness. I immediately pressed my fingers to my body, activating my quirk as the fall slowed, softening my landing as I gently floated to what I assumed was the ground.

I recognized the strange situation immediately after I fell. The space I was in was too wide, it seemed like another room. The fall was far too long for the ground under me to be just a surface of the earth. The slight chill and the hard material under my feet, it looked like there was a hidden room under the hideout the entire time.

…How the hell did we not notice? How big was this place anyway? If it stretched all the way to under the bar room, there was no way Blister wouldn't notice. However, if it was only a small room under mine, I…guess Zero wouldn't have cared even if she noticed.

A small shuffle caught my ears. It was really quiet, miniscule even, but my ears were sensitive enough, especially since there was barely any light. The only thing that prevented this place from being pitch black was the dim light of the hole I made from above.

My hand automatically moved to my belt. Luckily, I was wearing my mission outfit just in case anything happened. I focused as I willed my eyes to adjust to the darkness, scanning my surroundings. As my eyeballs slowly got used to it, I found myself spotting a figure not too far from me. I could hear faint breathing. My instincts spiked.

It was small. It didn't seem like a threat, based on the way it wasn't moving.

I shifted carefully, opening my mouth. "I can see you. If you're not a threat, don't move."

I took out a small flashlight from my pocket. Turning it on, the small light made its way to the figure. However, as I did so, I saw something that looked like a bed. There was a blanket on it, white and blank, and pillows even.

Was someone living here?

A small leg showed itself on the light. It was small, frail, pale. I felt my stomach drop as I saw trembling limbs, small shoulders hunched into a ball as she pressed herself to the wall, her white hair fallen over her red eyes that shone with fear and emptiness.

…No _fricken'_ way.

…Well, at least I could call off the mission trying to find her, she was under my bed the entire time after all.

"…Hey there, little princess?" I tried, going for a smile.

* * *

 **Ba-ba-da! New chapter! Ochako is back with a little new element, and the LoV are unsure of their future. Katsuki is in the hideout, tied up with messy restrains that wouldn't burn no matter what damn it. It was Blister's idea.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I will work on the next one, especially since the pure cinnamon bun has entered officially. Did you know that listening to MHA AMVs really set the mood for writing this?**

 **Again, I love all my readers who enjoy this story! I hope you all have a fabulous May and remaining of April!**

 **This is my twitter account! Runefairy12**

 **See you next month!**

 **~LunaricFairy12~**


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